Soccer

Safe Places to Play mini-pitch at Luis Muñoz Marin School in Newark, New Jersey

Improving Communities Through Soccer

LEGO has partnered with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to create a new safe place for kids to play soccer and gain life skills in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

June 26, 2023 - KOB4

Chicago Dog Park

Are Dog Parks Taking Space from People in Cities?

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.

August 31, 2017 - The Washington Post

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

AS Roma Stadio Olympico, Rome, Italy

Rome's Urban Planning Chief Quits in Stadium Dispute

Paolo Berdini, Rome's councilor for urban planning, has resigned from his position after clashing with the city's mayor over a new soccer stadium for AS Roma.

March 7, 2017 - Business Insider

Angry Public Meeting

The Chorus of 'No Planning, Please' is Making My Head Hurt

Life is hard. So are baseball, soccer, and a bunch of other stuff that require making good enough guesses to size opportunities and duck calamity. With apologies from Ben Brown for beating up on David Brooks.

July 21, 2014 - PlaceShakers

How to Put More Kick in Urban Parks and Recreation Planning

Los Angeles County planner Clement Lau makes a case for increasing the number of fields and facilities dedicated to a sport that is growing in popularity – soccer.

June 3, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Community Building Through Soccer in Detroit

A neighborhood-based soccer league in Detroit is becoming a new community building effort in the city.

August 10, 2011 - The Detroit Free Press

Stadium Renovation Prices out Brazil's Poor from its Most Revered Public Space

As Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, renovations to the Maracana, an infamous soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro, are pricing out the city's poor. Some say the work is killing one of the city's few egalitarian public places.

May 6, 2011 - The New York Times

Pop Star's Statue Leaves English Soccer Fans Confused and Angry

The unveiling of a statue of musician Michael Jackson outside a soccer stadium in England has confused and angered some fans.

April 7, 2011 - The New York Times

The Soccer League Building Community in Detroit

A neighborhood-based soccer league has just wrapped its first season in Detroit, where communities and neighborhoods are developing closer bonds through the beautiful game.

August 17, 2010 - Model D

London Stadium Plan Misses Mark on Context

One of London's major soccer teams is floating plans to rebuild its stadium. But with its location in one of the city's most impoverished sections, many say the new plan doesn't do enough for its neighborhood.

February 12, 2010 - London Evening Standard

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.

January 28, 2010 - Regional Plan Association

Trying to Save Portland's Historic Stadium

Growth in Portland's professional sports due to the expansion of Major League Soccer is threatening the life of the city's iconic Memorial Coliseum. Historians and preservationists are teaming up to save it.

May 21, 2009 - The Architect's Newspaper

Soccer Fans Join Together for Street 'Carnivals'

"Football Carnivals" are on the rise in Germany, where the community viewing buzz from the 2006 World Cup has hung around and revived itself for the current European Championship.

June 18, 2008 - Der Spiegel

Crime, Rising Costs Draw Concerns for World Cup Host

With the first game of the 2010 World Cup exactly two years away, many in host country South Africa are concerned about rising inflation, increased violence, and skyrocketing costs of stadium construction.

June 11, 2008 - ESPN

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