Posted on July 9, 2009 by Ben
ArchNews gives an overview of changes to the Gateway Mall in St. Louis.
From an urban planning standpoint, sometimes a garden is not just a garden – especially in St. Louis. City planners see Citygarden, which opens tomorrow, July 1, as the first step in fulfilling a nearly century-old dream in St. Louis – creating a thriving civic space along the Gateway Mall, the 1.1 mile-long ribbon of grass and trees that runs east to west from the grounds of Eero Saarinen’s iconic 1965 Gateway Arch and Old Courthouse to Union Station. The mall “has never fully realized its potential,” acknowledges Deputy Mayor for Development Barbara Geisman. Instead of serving as a bridge between the north and south sides of downtown, it has acted more as a barrier.
What were two square blocks of vacant lawn space on the largely uninterrupted stretch of city-owned green space bordered by office and government buildings, is now a 2.9-acre urban oasis of sculpture, nature, stone, and water.
The project stems from a partnership between the city and the local Gateway Foundation, which has provided funding through $25-$30 million for design and construction and other maintenance.
Filed under: facilities, partnerships | Tagged: downtown, st. louis | Leave a Comment »
Posted on July 8, 2009 by Ben
Look to be charged five cents for every disposable paper or plastic carryout bag beginning January 1, 2010 in Washington, D.C.’s grocery and other retail stores. The resulting revenue will help pay for a new Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Fund.
Administered by the District’s Department of the Environment, the fund will use proceeds to educate the public about the impact of trash, to provide reusable bags to District residents, and to remove trash from the river. Says Mayor Adrian Fenty:
“Under this new law, the simple steps we take every day will result in a healthier Anacostia River…..Disposable bags are a menace to our waterways, and dramatically cutting down on their use will have a measurable impact almost immediately.”
While the new revenue does not directly fund parks, it will benefit the parkland along the river and the condition of the river itself. The charge is the first in the nation of its kind, and we may see similar efforts. Given the connection being made between plastic bags and the environment, parks could conceivably be a destination for such funds.
Filed under: funding, green infrastructure | Tagged: plastic bags, washington dc | 1 Comment »
Posted on July 7, 2009 by Ben
Seoul, Before and After Highway Teardown
The Infrastructurist takes a look at four cases where freeways have been torn down and made into parks and/or boulevards, making the argument that such actions can actually improve the traffic congestion problem rather than worsen it:
Though our transportation planners still operate from the orthodoxy that the best way to untangle traffic is to build more roads, doing so actually proves counterproductive in some cases. There is even a mathematical theorem to explain why: “The Braess Paradox” (which sounds rather like a Robert Ludlum title) established that the addition of extra capacity to a road network often results in increased congestion and longer travel times. The reason has to do with the complex effects of individual drivers all trying to optimize their routes. The Braess paradox is not just an arcane bit of theory either – it plays frequently in real world situation.
Likewise, there is the phenomenon of induced demand – or the “if you build it, they will come” effect. In short, fancy new roads encourage people to drive more miles, as well as seeding new sprawl-style development that shifts new users onto them.
Of course, improving congestion is not the main reason why a city would want to knock down a poorly planned highway–the reasons for that are plentiful, and might include improving citizen health, restoring the local environment, and energizing the regional economy. More efficient traffic flow is just a wonderful side benefit.
And yes, one of those benefits can be access to more public spaces such as parks and parkways. The picture (above) The Infrastructurist provides from Seoul shows quite clearly how these new spaces can enhance the public life of a city.
Is there a freeway that deserves removal in your city?
(Alternatively, there’s also the practice of covering freeways to varying degrees – covered in a report by TPL’s Center for City Park Excellence in 2007.)
Filed under: planning, transportation | 1 Comment »
Posted on July 3, 2009 by Ben
The Chicago Tribune takes a look at the city’s new Riverwalk along the Chicago River. A series of parks, walkways and plazas that give continuous access to a river that slithers through forest of skyscrapers, these places are giving the city an entirely different feel. The article gives a good overview of the track the city has taken from development requirements to architectural styles. It starts out:
In recent weeks, scores of walkers, joggers, bicyclists and others have discovered the riverwalk that just opened on the Chicago River’s south bank. Stretching from east of the Michigan Avenue Bridge to Wabash Avenue, with an extension to State Street due to wrap up in early July, the handsome, people-friendly public space marks the latest step in Mayor Richard Daley’s ambitious drive to make the riverfront a prime public space downtown and in the city’s outlying neighborhoods.
Think of it as a new lakefront. A completed riverwalk would offer much-needed open space for tens of thousands of office workers and downtown apartment dwellers. And it would let you do along the riverfront what you can do along most of the lakefront: walk, bike or jog without interruption, enjoying the water along the way.
Filed under: planning | Tagged: chicago, waterfronts | 2 Comments »
Posted on July 2, 2009 by Ben
As we enter the Independence Day weekend, we will see streams of Americans enter their city parks to see this:
The National Mall, Washington, D.C.
And eat these:
Taste of Minnesota, Harriet Island Park, St. Paul, Minn., MPR
And listen to this:
River to River Festival, Battery Park, New York City (NYC Pocket)
Over a half million people regularly attend fireworks on the National Mall and city parks across the country will see people attending music festivals, parades, picnics and other events. Is the 4th of July to parks what the day after Thanksgiving is to malls?
In any case, have a good 4th of July.
Filed under: programming | Tagged: usership | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 30, 2009 by Ben
The Washington Post covers a new park in suburban Fairfax County outside of Washington, D.C. — the kind that we may be seeing more of in suburbs that are looking to become more city-like. Here’s an excerpt:
When you think of a suburban park, you might think of something rolling and green, with a little mulchy square for a playground and perhaps a backstop that hints at a baseball diamond.
If so, Fairfax County would like you to expand your definition.
On Saturday, the Fairfax County Park Authority dedicated Merrifield Park, a little brick plaza with benches and a fountain, hemmed in on one side by a sleek new complex of condominiums and shops called Merrifield Town Center. Though not necessarily a park in the way some might be accustomed, it performs a similar function: providing area residents with a little space and respite, somewhere to read, meet a friend or lure the kids away from their video games to enjoy some fresh air.
As the county’s first developed, public “urban park,” Merrifield is being held up as a model for the park of the future in the urbanizing areas of Fairfax, where open land is scarce, back yards are virtually nonexistent and common areas must be equally suitable for cubicle refugees at lunchtime and families out for a picnic. In particular, officials said, it is emblematic of the kind of thinking that will be necessary to make Tysons Corner, which is poised for a massive urban-style redevelopment, into a vibrant, walkable and attractive community.
“The county is changing, so our park system really needs to change,” said Sandy Stallman, the authority’s manager of park planning. “The county is moving toward more urban development in places like Tysons and some of the revitalization areas. The suburban park model just needed to be updated to coincide with that new urban paradigm.”
Filed under: planning | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 29, 2009 by Ben
Want to get some insights into enlivening a signature urban park? Or a business improvement district that can fund a park? The radio program Smart City with Carol Colletta hosts Dan Biederman who has helped turn around and continues to manage New York City’s Bryant Park. The interview is available to stream through the Smart City website.
Filed under: facilities, programming | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 26, 2009 by Ben
A great indoor public market in Washington, D.C. just reopened (see Washington Post story) after reconstruction following a fire in 2007. An indoor-only operation during the week, and an added outdoor farmers and flea market on the weekends, Eastern Market is one of Washington’s best public spaces. Every city should have something like this. Here are some pictures from today’s opening:
Filed under: facilities | Tagged: food, markets, washington dc | 2 Comments »
Posted on June 25, 2009 by Ben
Anne Schwartz of the Gotham Gazette takes a good look at the economic value of parks. She covers some of the recent research showing the value of parks, including a good chunk devoted to TPL’s recent report Measuring the Economic Value of City Parks, which looks at seven factors that provide a benefit measurable in dollars. But she also raised an excellent point about how cities can actually get something back from their parks — by investing in them:
To capture the economic benefits of parks, however, a city must invest in their upkeep. Parks help the economy when they are well maintained and well used. They can have a negative effect when they are neglected, attracting vandalism, drug-dealing and other crime. During the New York City fiscal crisis of the 1970s and ’80s, dirty, worn and dangerous parks became a potent symbol of the city’s decline.
The parks system, compared to other city services, takes a relatively small amount of money to maintain. Although the parks department operating budget has increased since the lows of the early 1990s, the number of park properties has increased by 20 percent, and the department still runs on a budget that park advocates say is not adequate to keep the entire system in good repair.
It isn’t only the Central Parks of the world that have economic value. It is also the neighborhood parks, the greenways, playgrounds and natural areas that make up an entire park system that positively contribute to a city’s overall bottom line. Shwarz’s column is worth a full read.
Filed under: economics | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 24, 2009 by Ben
- Sen. Schumer of New York likes biking around the city. (HuffPost)
- Screen on the Green is back on the National Mall, through new partnership between HBO, Comcast and the Trust for the National Mall. Each film will begin with a fundraising message on the Mall’s needs and the Trust. Sounds like a good medium to raise awareness and money for much-needed improvement on the Mall. (Washington Post)
- Metered parking proposed again for Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. (City Insider at SF Chronicle)
- Good read on reclaiming urban watersheds, from the San Francisco Bay area. (High Country News)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
