Happiness and health are generated or depleted by the way our neighbourhoods, towns, cities, and rural landscapes are developed. Creative placemaking adds to walkable urbanism by sealing the deal on physical, mental, and social well-being.

PlaceShakers has been running a series on a proposed Urban Happiness Index or Healthy Place Index. Hazel Borys turns an eye toward her own inspirations in great cycling cities, cycling through nature, gardening, retail streets, travel, living outdoors, cottage living, and art, and goes on to say:
"For me personally, places that generate the highest levels of mental and social well-being are the outcomes of creative placemaking, a discipline recently getting an injection of capital from ArtPlace. It’s a private-public consortium providing 'a means of investing in art and culture at the heart of a portfolio of integrated strategies that can drive vibrancy and diversity so powerful that it transforms communities.'"
Borys goes on to review a public art piece that opened last week in Winnipeg, From Here Until Now. Her parting warning:
"One of the pickets in the bridge reads, 'Affluence creates poverty,' a quote from the great Canadian philosopher of communication theory, and former area resident, Marshall McLuhan. While we have a long way to go to mitigate the gentrification inherent in creative placemaking outcomes, it’s worth figuring given the other significant value-driving benefits to health, environment, and economy. Not to mention the simple satisfaction of the experience."
FULL STORY: Creative Placemaking: From Here Until Now

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.
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