Investment in improving public spaces seen as key to keeping and attracting businesses and residents in Baltimore.
Writing in the Baltimore Sun, Lorraine Mirabella explores the Downtown Partnership's plans to create more attractive and active public spaces in an effort to generate economic activity. Without funding in place for the larger initiatives outlined in the open space plan, the City is moving ahead with small scale improvements and "lighter, quicker, cheaper" solutions.
"At Hopkins Plaza and throughout downtown we are trying to go back and correct the overusage of man-made materials and get away from that bunkerlike feel of excessive concrete and hardscape," said Nan Roher, the partnership's vice president of economic development and planning.
FULL STORY: Baltimore's downtown public spaces get a face-lift
Baltimore Ordered to Improve Sidewalk Accessibility
The city is one of many to face lawsuits for failing to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.
The Panacea of Outdoor Human Movement
Humans relish in over-complicating things, but the sweetest and healthiest things in life are the simplest.
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.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.
Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.
In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont