The creation of a park in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, is credited with helping the city lure new development and stay economically healthy during the recession.
"The city has a beautiful, natural waterfall smack in the middle of its downtown that was hidden for decades by a concrete overpass, warehouses and boarded-up buildings. White took some political heat, but convinced the city to fund a 20-acre public garden around the waterfall and a suspension foot bridge above.
'The park cost $13 million,' White says. 'Within two years, over $100 million in private investment was created around the park - hotels, restaurants, condominiums, apartments. The entire, what we call the West End of our downtown, just blossomed.'"
The city has also focused on luring development by providing green space and parking for new projects.
Read the full story: How A Park Helped One Town Weather The Recession
Historic Queens park is getting a $120M upgrade
The borough's largest park will undergo significant upgrades for accessibility, flood mitigation and historic preservation.
Harley-Davidson turned a Milwaukee parking lot into a green oasis
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LA unveils plans to reconnect MacArthur Park
The construction of Wilshire Boulevard split the park in two in 1934.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
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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.
California city breaks ground on transit connector
The project includes three mobility hubs and a pedestrian bridge.
After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker
Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.
40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park
The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
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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