Jacksonville, Florida is hoping private funding will come through to save the city's parks, which officials say they can't afford to build or maintain.
"'We're in survival mode right now. While this is a great amenity, there are other important things for the city like health care and education. I'm glad we got in under the gun with this,' said former Councilman Dick Kravitz, who was instrumental in getting the park in the 1990s before his election to the state House."
"Public recreation space, considered a prize attraction for residents of the 800-plus-square-mile city, poses a troublesome dynamic, Mayor John Peyton said."
"'In this soft economy, this is a time we should be investing in parks,' he said. 'It's a place people can go that's free.'"
"Only, the space isn't free to build or maintain."
"Peyton said the city spends $49 for every resident annually on the parks system. That's stretching a buck, he argued; he said Miami-Dade County spends $96 a head on parks. There also is a clear down side, he said, as the Palmetto expansion showed."
"...Parks spokeswoman Pam Wilson said a citywide search is beginning for community and faith-based organizations to support recreational programs."
Read the full story: Jacksonville looks to private sector to fund parks
Philadelphia's Franklin Square Installs a Fence and a Symbol of Privatization
Philadelphia's Franklin Square will require admission in the evening this spring, for the duration on a Chinese lantern festival. A critic faults the "philosophy of privatism" for robbing the park of its democratic qualities.
A Proposal for Reducing New York's Open Space Inequity
With park finances increasingly determined by private fundraising efforts, New York's park system is beginning to reflect the city's growing inequality. Could a Neighborhood Parks Alliance help rebalance the city's park dichotomy?
Park Funding Problems? Privatize
More parks in the U.S. should fight funding issues through privatization, writes John Stossel.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
This road in NYC is infamously dangerous — and Mamdani can't fix it
New York City's Ocean Parkway is known for reckless driving, but the power to implement safety measures lies with the state rather than the city.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
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