Public Space
A longread, written by Sam Boch and published by Places Journal, has been creating a stir online and is highly recommended for those with an interest in intersections between social justice and urban design.
Places Journal
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.
ARLnow
Feature
Could cities harness the power of play to build more healthy, resilient, and equitable communities, if only we had the words for it?
Gender equality has never played such a prominent role in the design of public and urban spaces. The world needs more than superficial, reactionary measures to address the long history of public space as the physical realm of patriarchy.
Behavioral Scientist
The role of business improvement districts in criminalizing homelessness reflects a tension between private interests and public space, Rob Waters writes.
Next City
Parklets in San Francisco are available for public use, but often they serve as extensions of the dining rooms of eateries.
San Francisco Chronicle
New York City is holding a competition for a distinctive logo to clearly demarcate all of its 550 privately-owned public spaces.
AM New York
A comprehensive study to revitalize the Atlanta regional waterfront, dubbed the Chattahoochee RiverLands project, is now underway.
Saporta Report
Insight from Barcelona and Portland on how to plan and design an active, welcoming neighborhood square.
The Western Planner
In his new book Palaces for the People, sociologist Eric Klinenberg explores the places—from libraries and schools to cafes and churches—where cities' social lives take place. It's a compelling idea but one that Klinenberg discusses clumsily.
California Planning & Development Report
Former chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat wants to transform three failing golf courses into free public spaces.
The Toronto Star
With so much attention devoted to how technology will change roadways and vehicles, less speculation has attended to the ways technology will change walking.
Foreground
Battles for inclusion and exclusion in the life of the city more often end in stand-offs than in skirmishes.
Urban Omnibus
Where can teenagers hang out and be safe in public? Members of Yes Loitering, advocates for public spaces where youth can “hang out and be themselves” without fear of reprisal.
Urban Omnibus
More uses and modes than ever are fighting for curb space in growing cities. Here's an app to make sense of what you can do, and when, along this valued real estate.
The Verge
The Gehl Institute, working with several public sector partners, has released an open source "Public Life Data Protocol."
Gehl Institute
What moves us about great public space is its ability to convene community. To provide an accessible place of solace and celebration. It’s not about the buildings, or even the streets. It’s about the experience. Susan Henderson on Savannah's squares.
PlaceShakers
The number of dog parks in the United States has almost doubled since 2007. Some worry these spaces are not welcoming or could signal gentrification.
The Washington Post
The Milwaukee RiverWalk is already pretty great, but there's still work than can be done.
Urban Milwaukee
In the aftermath of the violence in Charlottesville, resulting from the gathering of white supremacists and neo-Nazis, American cities are rethinking whether statues honoring the heroes of the Confederacy belong in public spaces.
Vox
