Heather Smith talks with urban designer Andres Power about his work creating parklets within the San Francisco Planning Department.
Power says that the nature of San Francisco politics makes it difficult to get anything done, so the temporary nature of the city's parklets makes it significantly easier:
"This makes a big difference. Cities like New York have a strong hierarchical structure. We don't have that in San Francisco. And so when there are differences in opinion between groups or agencies, it can be almost impossible to get things done. The first plaza that went in, at 17th and Castro, had a history going back almost ten years of the community talking about using that space. But making it temporary made it happen. Then, the parklets were inspired by PARK(ing) Day."
FULL STORY: The Streets of San Francisco

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
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City of Grandview
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Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions