Public Space
Charlottesville and the 'War Against Public Space'
A think-piece published by CityLab argues that public space, and the ideals it embodies, are under threat from the racist groups that gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend.
Six States Considered Laws to Make it Legal to Run Over Protestors This Year
A day of reckoning has come for state lawmakers who proposed protections for motorists who attack protestors from behind the wheels of their car. A tragedy at protests in Charlotte has cast new light on the dangerous potential of such laws.
Lawrence Halprin and the Public Realm: Can the United Nations Plaza Unite San Franciscans?
Since its inauguration in 1975, San Francisco’s United Nations Plaza has not served its intended purpose.
New Public Space Outside Wrigley Field Just Another Win for Chicago
Chicago Cubs fans looking to bask in the glory of the team's first World Series victory since 1908 will find a new public plaza and lawn next to the stadium. The plaza will be open to the public on non-baseball days too.
The World's Best City for Street Food Bans Street Food
The city of Bangkok, Thailand, is famous for its cheap and flavorful street food. City leaders, however, have decided that the city would be less appealing without street vendors.
Lawsuit Closes Popular Hiking Trail to the Hollywood Sign
Closing today: one of the most popular hiking trails in the Hollywood Hills, another case of the antipathy between public access and private property.
What a National Green Infrastructure Plan Looks Like
The American Society of Landscape Architects this week announced a list of green infrastructure priorities, full of specifics, without mentioning the Trump Administration.
Oregon Residents Could Soon Pay a Fee to Hit the Water
The state of Oregon will consider legislation that would raise $2.17 million a year by implementing a fee on non-motorized users of public waterways.
Sitting on the Walls Prohibited in Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square
The list of prohibitions for the use of public spaces grows—this time to the seemingly innocuous and park-perfect activity of sitting.
Proposed Law Would Ban Unaccompanied Adults from City Playgrounds in L.A.
There is plenty of debate surrounding a proposed law that would prohibit adults from entering city-owned playgrounds unless in the company of children.
How To Turn a Contaminated Parking Lot Into a World-Class Public Space
Tulsa's Guthrie Green proves Tulsa, Oklahoma isn't just known for parking craters any longer.
Denver City Summit 2016: Place, Culture, Meaning
Keynote speeches and break-out sessions at this year's Rocky Mountain City Summit implicated the importance of cultural knowledge for planning inclusive and equitable cities.
How Good Planning Remade the Santa Fe Railyard
A planner reflects on one of New Mexico's great planning successes, the Santa Fe Railyard.
Op-Ed: Programming the First Priority for Keeping Public Spaces Safe
Providence, Rhode Island is looking ways to make Kennedy Plaza, located in the city's downtown, safe for all users. Increased law enforcement in only one way to achieve that goal, according to an op-ed in the Providence Journal.
San Francisco Debates an Anti-Homeless Fence
The deployment of so-called defensive architecture is in the news again. This time the controversy is in the public realm, as San Francisco considers a fence to keep homeless out of McCoppin Hub.
Innovations in Street Furniture Reflect New Approach to Public Space
After a tour of Los Angeles street furniture, Alissa Walker offers her reflections on cities' changing approach to public space.
Are freeway overpasses curtailing public discourse?
Freeway overpasses instead of town squares are now often selected as the preferred public space to promote a non-commercial point of view, but such messaging does little to enhance public discourse, writes planner and urbanist Howard Blackson.
Anchorage to Renovate a Prominent Public Space in the Name of Public Safety
A popular public meeting space in downtown Anchorage faces renovations due to claims of illegal activity. A now defunct water fountain feature has created conditions that some believe are unsafe with a need for more eyes on the street.
Creative Placemaking: Lead, Follow, AND Get Out of the Way
For governments and institutions, creative placemaking means knowing when to let go. Scott Doyon explains.
Myanmar's 20-Lane Road to Nowhere
Constructed at great expense over the past decade, Myanmar's planned capital city of Naypyidaw boasts an empty 20-lane stretch of road. The city's real purpose may be to discourage regime change.
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
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
