Local residents are upset with the effects of the placemaking installment in Chicago, opened this spring—namely slower traffic and a polka dot color scheme. An article in DNAinfo points out that slowing traffic was kind of the point.
Ariel Cheung reports on the pushback to the Lincoln Hub makeover in Chicago—a brightly covered, polka dot paint scheme designed as a placemaking and traffic calming facility. According to Cheung, "some neighbors have taken umbrage to what they've nicknamed "Polka Dot Park" and say it has snarled traffic and detracted from the block's historic architecture."
A petition to remove the project's polka dots and bollards is circulating online, with 257 signatures earlier this week. The project is a test of the concept, so future tweaks are possible. The city is also "planning 10 more similar public spaces in the city's plazas, malls and traffic triangles this year, with 10 additional locations each year following, as approved by the City Council."
FULL STORY: Neighbors Are Mad Lincoln Hub Slows Traffic, But That Was Kind of the Point
'Lincoln Hub': A Polka Dot Makeover for Chicago Intersection
The intersection of Lincoln Ave, Southport Avenue, and Wellington Avenue in the South Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago is in the process of a major upgrade in pedestrian-friendly placemaking.
Indianapolis Puts Design Ideas to the Test With Pedestrian-Friendly Pilot Project
As it works to gather the $60 million necessary to implement permanent changes to Monument Circle, Indianapolis is testing ideas for how to make the location more pedestrian friendly.
To Protect Pedestrians, Keep the Cameras
Active Transportation Alliance, a Chicago pedestrian advocacy group, urges Mayor Rahm Emanuel to improve red light cameras rather than remove them. Despite complaints from drivers, well-advertised cameras can reduce pedestrian fatalities.
Georgia's First Tiny Home Village Now Open, and Sold Out
Eight single-family houses on a half-acre of land.
The Most Complete Map of U.S. Pedestrian Risk Yet
New research published by the Journal of Transport and Land Use analyzes tens of thousands of pedestrian fatalities over 16 years in the United States.
Arizona's Tallest Building Will Soon Be Vacant
The tallest building in the Grand Canyon State will enter a new era.
Bikes Make Life Better
Urban Insight
Springettsbury Township
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard University Graduate School of Design - Executive Education
Jefferson County
City of Greensburg
City of Flagstaff
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
