Laura Vanderkam tells of a not-too-distant past where New York's parks and public places were in disarray, and it took public-private partnerships to bring them back to their former glory (and maybe better).
Vanderkam says that cities all over the country "...are trying to replicate the success that New York's public-private partnerships have achieved." Looking in particular at Central Park, she considers how far the park has come since the 1970s:
"[P]erhaps the most amazing thing about Central Park is how little tax money goes into maintaining it. Though it is still ultimately the city's responsibility, the park has been managed since the 1980s by the nonprofit Central Park Conservancy, and it relies on private donations for most of its budget. The marriage between the city and the Conservancy has been a fruitful one. Can this model, known as a public-private partnership, restore and invigorate all of New York's green spaces, including neighborhood parks in less affluent areas? "
Read the full story: Parks and Re-creation
Here's to the Visionaries
As the president and co-founder of Friends of the High Line prepares to leave the park he helped to create, it is a good time to consider the legacy of what is now one of the most famous contemporary landscapes in the world.
Parks Are Cash Cows
A new report claims that Central Park in New York added $1 billion to the economy in 2007, and the new High Line park added $4 billion in new real estate developments.
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100,000 bikers, pedestrians and horseback riders compete for space on the loop daily, sometimes resulting in deadly collisions.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
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LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
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Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
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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