Kaid Benfield, who came in at #42 in our Top 100 Urban Thinkers poll recently, talks about what makes the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris his favorite in the world.
"What makes it work so well? I can think of a few things right away: First, it's a great size for a large city park, at 60 acres. That means one still feels in the city when there, but in an especially tranquil part. Second, like great cities themselves, it embodies a variety of vistas and experiences, from the majestic old Luxembourg Palace (now the seat of the French Senate), to the pond in the center where kids play with toy boats, to a bandstand, a marionette theatre, a carrousel, tennis courts, the Medici fountain, terrific nooks and crannies in which to eat and drink, and so on."
Read the full story: Village Green: The World's Best City Park Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/f-kaid-benfield/village-green-the-worlds
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Record-breaking wildlife overpass in Colorado brings 91% reduction in animal collisions
Prior to the overpass, vehicles were hitting one deer per day on Colorado’s Interstate 25.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Trump wants to cancel nearly 98% of funding for HUD housing support program
Multiple housing groups are suing the administration in an effort to preserve the funding.
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.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello