The National Capital Planning Commission invites the public to weigh-in on five proposals for improvements to the Ellipse, the large public park between White House and the National Mall.
Writer Suzanne LaBarre calls the current design "fascist", and says that while the new proposals are "a valiant effort to pretty up a high-security stretch of the Capitol", she believes the park's problems cannot be fixed with landscaping:
"They [the proposals] feature shady trees and public promenades and aspirational names (for instance, "Democracy's Front Porch"). It's like putting a lace doily on an anvil.
It seems likely that government goons will end up doing whatever they want."
National security issues are putting severe constraints on the project, says LaBarre.
The design proposals are online at the NCPC website.
Read the full story: All-Star Designers Try To Make White House Park Less Fascist
Capital Bikeshare Station MIA from the White House
An observant D.C. resident first noticed that a "secret" Capital Bikeshare station is no longer present on the White House grounds.
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: White House Edition
The security cordon around the country's most famous residence is growing taller and stronger, again.
Security and Walkability Entwine in New Park at White House
Plans to redesign the expanded publicly accessible section of the White House's front lawn combine both walkability concerns and safety concerns.
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.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
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.
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 Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority