Urban Parks

Gravestones along pathway in green Mount Auburn Cemetery

From Garden Cemeteries to Levittown

Tracing the story of the American suburban form.

December 26, 2022 - Governing

Garden with bee houses labeled 'bee hotel' and scarecrow

How Pollinators Fight Warming Cities

Researchers are starting to understand how urban bee populations can support healthy green spaces and reduce the urban heat island effect.

October 11, 2022 - Wired

Children's playground in a London park with a green lawn

Playgrounds as an Essential Amenity

A London organization is working to bring ‘adventure playgrounds’ to park-poor neighborhoods, arguing that outdoor play is a key factor in child development.

August 1, 2022 - Next City

Gil Penalosa speaking on a stage at Velo-city conference in Seville, Spain, with bicycle in foreground

Urbanist Gil Peñalosa Running for Toronto Mayor

The former parks commissioner for Bogotá, Colombia is throwing his hat in the ring in Toronto’s mayoral race.

July 15, 2022 - Toronto Star

A privately owned public space at 555 Mission Street with large sculptures and benches.

The Return of San Francisco’s Privately Owned Public Spaces

In San Francisco, you can find respite from city life in some unexpected places—if you know where to look.

June 26, 2022 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Rendering of Memorial Park land bridge

First Part of Houston 'Land Bridge' Opens to Public

The land bridge over Memorial Drive will return 100 acres of green space to the area and provide a safe, convenient connection for humans and wildlife between the two sides of Memorial Park.

March 31, 2022 - Houston Chronicle

Low-saturation image of a concrete schoolyard with basketball hoop

'Greening' L.A.'s Schoolyards

Advocates for increasing green space on school campuses say giving students a more healthy outdoor environment can also reduce the urban heat island effect and improve public health in historically underserved communities.

March 29, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Vacant Lot

The Importance of Unintentional Nature in Cities

A new book argues in favor of spontaneous, informal natural spaces.

March 14, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

An aerial view of Los Angeles at dawn, with Westlake and MacArthur Park in the foreground and Downtown Los Angeles in the background.

Mobile Recreation Program to Serve Park-Poor Areas

Los Angeles County launches "Park On the Move" initiative to offer recreational activities and opportunities in underserved communities.

February 13, 2022 - Associated Press

View of lake at Earvin "Magic" Johnson Park

Magic Johnson Park to Reopen in February

A much-needed park in South Los Angeles will reopen to the public after undergoing major renovations.

February 1, 2022 - MIG

A view of the Pacific Ocean and California coastline from high in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Santa Monica Mountains Acquires More Land For Conservation

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority has acquired the final 150 acres of the 325-acre Triangle Ranch open space in the Santa Monica Mountains.

December 6, 2021 - The Acorn

Children Playing

How Urban Design Affects Children's Cognitive Development

A European study suggests that good urban design can affect cognitive and motor function development in young children.

November 30, 2021 - Barcelona Institute for Global Health

Denver Golf Course

Denver Voters Will Weigh Open Space Development

Two competing initiatives seek to change city regulations for residential and commercial development on the city's parklands and open spaces.

June 22, 2021 - Denver Post

Buffalo Bayou Park

Houston Residents Want to Build Pocket Parks on City-Owned Lots

In a park-poor neighborhood, vacant lots provide an untapped opportunity for small-scale parks.

April 26, 2021 - Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research

Esplanade at Battery Park

Meet Some of New York City's Newest Parks

In a city where density is everything, these park projects make creative use of existing public spaces—and, in some cases, create their own.

March 7, 2021 - Urbanize New York

Michigan State Park

10 of America's Most Beautiful Parks

With the pandemic, people need to see and experience beauty, nature, and parks more than ever. Learn more about some of America's urban oases.

September 22, 2020 - National Geographic

Dallas, Texas

From Parking Lot to Urban Green Space

The first of four new parks opening in Dallas in the next few years opened earlier this month—Pacific Plaza park.

October 21, 2019 - The Dallas Morning News

Brooklyn, New York City

Local Resistance for NYC's Open Parks Program

The Parks Without Borders program in New York City is intended to open parks to the rest of the public realm, but some local activists like their parks just how they are.

October 21, 2019 - City & State New York

Austin Park

Trends in Community Park Landscape Design and Planning

Urban park planning and design needs to deliver a lot of community benefit from a small amount of space. The lessons that emerge

August 5, 2019 - Claire Hempel

Visitation Valley Greenway

A Route Through the City, S.F. Crosstown Trail Opens

After five years of planning, a San Francisco trail now runs across the city linking neighborhoods and greenspaces.

June 15, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

HUD’s 2023 Innovative Housing Showcase

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

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The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.