The Wall Street Journal profiles the astonishing $45 million renovation of Queens Plaza, where "a wasteland of potholed roads, a parking lot and elevated subway tracks" has been transformed into an urban oasis.
Led by landscape architect Margie Ruddick, with a team of collaborators including Marpillero Pollak Architects, Judith Heintz of the landscape
architecture firm WRT, artist Michael Singer and lighting artist Leni
Schwendinger, the linear park is "shining proof of the power of enlightened urban planning, talent,
taste, trees and other plants and, perhaps most of all, positive
thinking to minimize, if not wholly eradicate, the effects of an
otherwise hostile environment," observes Ralph Gardner Jr.
Located amid a 16-lane roadway where pedestrians were commonly hit by cars, Gardner believes, "the most challenging aspect of the project was redirecting the
flow of traffic, the work of the Department of City Planning and the
traffic engineering firm Eng-Wong, Taub-timing lights and situating
medians to increase safety in tandem with improving the plaza's
aesthetics."
"One way this was achieved was by using medians decorated
with jagged chunks of demolished concrete from the construction. That
may not sound particularly attractive, but it somehow works. It's
visually arresting, and at the same time sends motorists a message not
to mess with pedestrians waiting to cross at the light."
FULL STORY: In Queens, An Artistic Alteration
Hidden in Plain Sight: Re-Appropriated Spaces
The projects depicted here re-use and re-appropriate public space, filling gaps in the built environment with parks, open areas, and pedestrian walkways.
Bethlehem Reclaims its Industrial Heritage
Rather than turn its back of the remnants of the industry that made and unmade this quintessential steel town, Bethlehem is rethinking its identity with the abandoned steel plant turned cultural magnet as its centerpiece, writes Tom Stoelker.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.
The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs
Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.
DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint
Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.
In These Cities, Most New Housing is Under 441 Square Feet
With loosened restrictions on “micro-housing,” tiny units now make up as much as 66% of newly constructed housing.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)