Ken Smith won an international design competition to turn a 1,300 acre former military base in Orange County, CA into an urban park to rival Central Park in NY. His plan is ambitious, and could be sunk by politics and finances.
"To the northeast is the urban sprawl of the county's older cities. To the southwest are the newer master-planned ones. The ground is the detritus of the last century's wars; endless concrete, abandoned hangars, tumbleweeds and dirt.
"It is kind of an accident of history that all this land, in the center of a major metropolitan county, would have gone undeveloped for all this time," Agran says.
Great Park backers hope their park will be compared to Central Park, Golden Gate Park and Balboa Park."
Read the full story: Is Great Park a soaring vision or just hot air?
New Vision for Southern California’s Great Park
The newly unveiled comprehensive plan includes a botanical garden, museums, and a 22-acre lake system.
Irvine Park Construction Timeline Doubles
Just four percent of Irvine's Great Park has been built in six years, compared to an early estimation that it would be completed in 10. Now, it may take 20. And it's no one's fault, writes Jeff Overley.
One Step Towards Orange County's Great Park
The Orange Country Great Park has received the official go-ahead, with a dedication of $65 million for the first phase of construction.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Data reveals that NYC’s bet on congestion pricing has paid off
After almost two years of the program, reports show positive impacts on traffic and air quality and no disruptions to parking.
HUD modernizes 50-year-old manufactured housing framework
The Next Generation Manufactured Housing Action Plan establishes new energy-efficiency standards for manufactured homes, and new guidelines for anchoring them.
Small single-family homes are illegal in most of MA. Voters can change that
Most land zoned for single-family housing in Massachusetts requires at least 40,000 square feet of land per house.
Public steps inside U.S.’s first battery-powered train
Metra’s groundbreaking train feature modern seats and a futuristic battery car.
Companies show off AI technology, new innovation hubs at APTA Expo
Nearly 700 companies attended the American Public Transportation Association’s Expo last week, which happens once every three years.
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.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority