Parks
New York's Expensive Parks
Patrick Arden reports that "No other parks system in America relies as much on other people's money" as New York. Arden examines the public-private partnership, and problems inherent in relying on donations to maintain parks.
Beyond the Trail
A recent Planetizen interview on the relationship between park space and active living got me thinking about what spaces inspire physical activity and what spaces discourage it. In my old apartment complex, the indoor fitness centers were jammed while the nearby riverside walking trails were desolate, despite nearly perfect year-round weather. Why? The trails were perceived as unsafe because they were completely isolated from view.
The Search for Community One Sleepover at a Time?
I have to admit, listening to Peter Lovenheim talk about his book “In the Neighborhood, The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time”, spiked my planner’s radar. In his novel, the journalist, quite intentionally, well, the title is self-explanatory isn’t it? It sounded a bit hokey and contrived at first, as did the interview. Lovenheim explained that the only way to truly get to know someone and develop a real sense of intimacy and bond was to sleep in their home and shadow them for the day. But the real story is about the loss of intimacy and comfort among neighbors.
States Forced to Close Parks
Facing tight budgets, many states are closing or limiting access to their parks and natural resources.
Troubled Times for Philadelphia's Underfunded Parks
With one of Philadelphia's best-supported public parks in danger of losing the private funding that keeps it maintained, Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron looks at the sad state of the city's parks.
Creative Funding for Pop-Up Park
In Philadelphia, a recent planning school graduate and his friends are attempting to create a pop-up park in East Passyunk using social media and contest winnings as funding tools.
Park Formulas do More Harm Than Good
Peter Harnik, director of the Center for City Park Excellence at the Trust for Public Land, believes that formulas for how much parkland cities and neighborhoods cause more harm than good.
Public Space Creation in Three Midwestern Cities
This piece from The Architect's Newspaper takes a look at three midwestern cities that have recently benefited from outside investments in their urban centers.
The Design Behind St. Louis' Downtown Park
Landscape Architecture Magazine looks at the design behind the new downtown art park in St. Louis and calls it a "hybrid oasis" in the city.
Giving an Identity and Purpose to Governors Island
The New York Times takes a look at plans to redesign Governors Island, control of which was recently take over by the City of New York.
New York City Takes Over Governor's Island
The City has reached a deal to take over 172-acres of undeveloped land from the State, and redevelopment possibilities are flooding in - public park, high school, commercial buildings, NYU satellite campus, and more.
America's Best New Urban Parks
The Infrastructurist lists the top new urban parks that have been built in the U.S. in recent years.
Underpass Finds New Life As Park
The land underneath a Toronto highway overpass will be converted into a neighborhood park. Officials hope it will spark the revival of one of the city's underused waterfront neighborhoods.
Finding Ways to Create "Emerald Necklaces" in Built-Out Cities
A string of connected parks laced through cities has been a vision of city planners since the days of Olmsted. Ben Welle of the Center for City Park Excellence has some ideas how that that vision can be implemented today.
Brookyln Bridge Park Expands
The new park takes an old waterfront park and connects it with previously inaccessible space to create an 85-acre site stretching 1.3 miles along the waterfront.
A New/Old Neighborhood in Cairo
A group of development agencies came together to undertake a historic-preservation and community-development effort in Cairo's Al-Darb al-Ahmar community. The project was such a success that they're still working, by invitation, restoring the area.
Bay Area Naval Base Approved for Neighborhood Conversion
A former Naval weapons station in Concord, California will be converted into a new, 12,000-home neighborhood.
Abandoned Train Infrastructure Becomes Amusement Park
The abandoned infrastructure for an inner-city rail project in Lima, Peru, has been adapted into a playful amusement park.
Turning a Golf Course into a Public Oasis
National City, CA has only 2 acres of public parks per 1000 residents, as opposed to the national average of 10 acres. A new plan proposes to transform a 44-acre golf course into an innovative new central park.
Planning for the Rising American Interest in Soccer
Increasing amounts of Americans are soccer players, and the parks and park planners in American cities are beginning to reflect the sport's growing popularity, according to this piece from the Regional Plan Association.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
