A comprehensive overhaul of a stretch of American Street in Philadelphia includes a bioswale to better manage stormwater runoff along the corridor.
"North American Street could become the [Philadelphia's] premiere example of a green street, using the road’s expansive width to soak up stormwater with a 28-foot wide bioswale running up the center median," reports Jon Geeting.
The project was funded in part by $5 million of the $10.2 Million in TIGER grant finding awarded to the city of Philadelphia in October 2015. Plans for the total, $17.4 million project include "removing the rail tracks running down the center of American Street and adding bike lanes, new sidewalks, incorporating green infrastructure tools to manage stormwater."
The article includes more details about the decade-plus of planning efforts that have led to the redesign project, which is now underway with a series of public open houses.
Read the full story: City advances redesign for North American Street, including 28-foot wide bioswale
FYI about GSI: The Recipe for Green Stormwater Infrastructure Success
New research highlights some of the ways planners can increase the social benefits and public acceptance of green stormwater infrastructure.
New York Sets a Goal for 5,000 New Curbside Rain Gardens
Seventy percent of the surface of New York City is impervious. A program with a goal to build a total of 9,000 curbside rain gardens will put a dent in the hardscape.
South Los Angeles Park Offers Hidden Benefits
Not only does the redevelopment of a large section of Earvin Magic Johnson Park in Willowbrook offer much needed green space and new amenities, it also helps to conserve water and improve water quality.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment
The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.
Dallas releases zoning code overhaul to officials
The drafted overhaul is over 400 pages long.
NYC renovations for dangerous, ‘mercilessly crammed’ street delayed until 2027
Construction was supposed to begin this fall.
San Diego’s Midway Rising project gets greenlight from city council
The project looks to become the largest affordable housing development in California's history.
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
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello