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.
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.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association