Park Planning

Close-up of person holding up phone and looking at their smart watch displaying fitness data

Using Cellphone and Fitness App Data for Park Planning

Data from smartphone apps and fitness trackers are helping planners to better understand park usage patterns and plan for new and improved parks.

July 31, 2023 - Planning Magazine

Woman sitting on grass with building in background, looking at her smart watch

Using Technology to Advance Park Planning

A variety of new tools can help with community engagement and data collection and analysis for park planning projects.

November 6, 2022 - National Recreation and Park Association Open Space Blog

An aerial view of the Toronto Hunt Club and golf course, located along Lake Ontario amid residential homes in Toronto.

Toronto Searching for a Future for its Public Golf Courses

Amid calls to convert the city's golf courses to other uses, Toronto, Ontario city staff are trying to figure out a middle ground between competing interests.

January 9, 2022 - Toronto Star

Los Angeles, California

A New Approach to Park Equity

A new approach prioritizes investments in the capacity of people closest to the problem to achieve population-level impacts.

July 6, 2021 - Prevention Institute

Girl Friends

Better Public Spaces for Teenage Girls

A growing design movement seeks to provide parks and playgrounds that meet the unique needs of teen girls.

June 3, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Los Angeles, California

Making Park Plans a Reality

Los Angeles County implements equity-focused community parks and recreation plans.

April 19, 2021 - Parks & Recreation Magazine

Los Angeles

New Park Coming to Chinatown in Los Angeles

A new half-acre park is taking shape on a previously undeveloped hillside property in Chinatown, one of the more densely populated and park-poor areas in L.A.

February 3, 2021 - Urbanize Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Adopting an Intersectional Approach to Parks Planning

This approach makes sense because parks are not isolated spaces, and park planning cannot be done effectively or holistically without considering the social, economic, physical, and political context in which parks are located.

January 25, 2021 - Parks & Rec Business

Antelope Valley, California

Park Planning in a Pandemic

In pursuit of a grant for park development, Los Angeles County engages community members virtually to gather input and design a new park.

October 6, 2020 - Antelope Valley Press

Minneapolis Park

A Comprehensive Plan for Every Neighborhood Park

Minneapolis wants more equity in its parks spending—and new plans are a key step in the process of delivering more equitable results.

August 15, 2019 - MinnPost

Boston, Massachusetts

Ideas for Improving the Oldest Public Park in the U.S.

A windfall of $28 million will be spent to repair and renovate Boston Common—public input into the priorities of that spending would be appreciated.

August 12, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Arlington Virginia

When Does a Public Space Plan Rely Too Much on Pavement?

The debate leading up to the recent approval of the Arlington County, Virginia Public Spaces Master Plan reveals the competing pressures on park planning in 2019.

May 2, 2019 - ARLnow

Trinity Park rendering

Checking in With the Trinity River Park Project in Dallas

With a plan to build a Trinity Toll Road a thing of the past, there are now two plans for parks along the Trinity River. One would "rewild" the watershed.

September 21, 2018 - D Magazine

Governors Island

The State of New York City's Parks

A new report by the Center for an Urban Future signals the need for attention to the Big Apple's parks before they are beyond repair.

June 28, 2018 - Center For An Urban Future

Children Playing

Urban Planning Insights From Your Inner Child (or Your Actual Child)

Los Angeles County park planner and parent Clement Lau writes about how 'playing' and parenting has given him insight into the urban environment that he applies in his profession.

February 12, 2018 - UrbDeZine

Soccer on the Beach

How Soccer Is Changing Land Use

Planners are incorporating the growing popularity of soccer into parks and communities, writes L.A. park planner Clement Lau, and not just with soccer fields.

July 29, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Philadelphia Park

A New Green Thumb Tool for Planners

The Greenprint Resource Hub aims to integrate open space, parks, and agriculture into city and regional planning efforts.

July 12, 2017 - progrss

Los Angeles Skyline with houses

Urban Forestry in L.A. Explained

Los Angeles County has inventoried their trees and devised a strategy for fostering an urban canopy. Park planner Clement Lau explains.

August 28, 2016 - UrbDeZine

Minneapolis, Park, Bossen Field

Changing Tastes Push Minneapolis' Parks From Baseball to Soccer

In a move to address changing preferences, some Minneapolis' parks are slowly eliminating baseball diamonds and tennis courts in favor of adaptable fields and multi-purpose courts.

July 18, 2016 - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune

Floyds Fork Louisville

Louisville Builds a Green Ring Around the City

For the second time in its history, Louisville completed an ambitious and massive park planning and design process on its suburban fringe. The fringe today is just a bit farther out than it was in Olmsted's day.

May 13, 2016 - Next City

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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.