A new television documentary on Frederick Law Olmsted looks at the legacy of his Central Park and the sometimes serendipitous way he was able to leave an impact on the urban landscape of the U.S.
This review from The New York Times focuses on the role of designers in creating public spaces.
"More than a century after his death in 1903, the urban landscapes he created, first and most famous among them Central Park, are still giving vast, diverse populations a connection to nature amid a sea of concrete. "Olmsted and America's Urban Parks," a documentary by Rebecca Messner showing Wednesday on PBS, helps you appreciate just how visionary Olmsted and his undercredited partner in Central Park and other projects, Calvert Vaux, were at a time when the idea that cities need parks was not firmly established.
Ms. Messner's documentary is nothing fancy, but the life it chronicles certainly was, a blend of genius, determination and occasional happenstance. As the film notes, Olmsted might never have landed the Central Park job had a more prominent landscape designer, Andrew Jackson Downing, not been killed when the steamship Henry Clay burned on the Hudson River in 1852. But Olmsted, though his early career was as a journalist, found himself in the right place at the right time, and his and Vaux's design for the park was chosen in 1858. "
FULL STORY: The Genius Who Built Central Park

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents
The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie