Last Friday was annual PARK(ing) Day, and for Howard Blackson, who participated in a pilot park(let) project in San Diego, the reasons to enable context appropriate civic space was underscored again.
"In 2005, San Francisco design firm, Rebar, transformed a single metered parking space into a temporary public park for 2-hours. An image of this transformational act went viral and changed the way we ‘see' public spaces. This lone 'parklet' led to PARK(ing) Day, informing the Tactical Urbanist toolbox, and being formally adopted by San Francisco, Long Beach, Boston, and New York."
"Our little Parklet on Friday was a temporary, simple place and, while it appeared to be antithetical to the beauty and grandeur of our great Civic Spaces, its democratic spirit was still intact," says Blackson, who details the lessons (re)learned during his experience:
- The Street did not feel as ‘dangerous' as we tend to expect.
- Place matters.
- Civic space really does connect people.
- America's greatest idea, "that all men are created equal," is realized in public space.
Thanks to Hazel Borys
FULL STORY: Great Civic Space: It ain’t the size, it’s what you do with it
Happy Park(ing) Day! Should This Be the Last One?
Though Park(ing) day organizers stopped tracking numbers last year, it's safe to say that dozens of cities will be turning their parking spaces into public spaces today. But for Alissa Walker, participants could better spend their time and energy.
Indy Neighborhood Group Builds Temporary Multi-Use Path
Community members, aided in part by funding from the city, repurposed a vehicle lane to create a protected bike and pedestrian path for the summer season.
St. Louis Had Enough of the Federal Government’s Crosswalk Paint Policy
St. Louis is not the only city to decide that the Federal Highway Administration’s policies against brightly painted crosswalks. The evidence is on the side of the resistance.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie