Just a few decades ago, clients were discouraging designers from providing comfortable resting spots in NYC's parks. For a crop of new public spaces, designers are dreaming up fanciful park furniture that beckons people to stop and stay a while.
"There are wooden chaises roomy enough for two. Bar-stool-style perches with river views. Communal work stations for laptop users. Huge granite slabs. Even hammocks. That most prosaic of public furnishings, the New York City park bench, has morphed into a blank canvas on which designers, landscape architects and artists have unleashed their fantasies," observes Lisa W. Foderaro.
"Architects and park officials say the trend has gained momentum as the city has reclaimed its waterfront and turned forgotten public nooks into plazas. The drop in crime and the lower profile of the city’s homeless population were also contributing factors."
Read the full story: Designers Stretch Out Imaginations on Park Benches
N.Y.C. Density and Spread of Coronavirus
The densest city in the country is struggling with the rapid spread of the virus, and close proximity is likely a primary factor.
A Bold Vision for a Car-Free Boston
As other cities take daring steps to reclaim their streets, a car ban in downtown Boston doesn’t seem so implausible.
Making Privately Owned Public Spaces in New York City More Accessible by Mapping Them
A new map shows where privately owned public spaces are located to encourage more public use.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor
Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority