The New York Times asks for and recieves reports on drinking fountains, almost all in parks, in Baltimore, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, New York City and Portland, Oregon.
Filed under: uncategorized | 2 Comments »
U.S. City Park Facts Released, Poll Shows Increased Use
Posted on August 17, 2009 by Ben Welle
The Trust for Public Land just released its most recent report on statistics related to city parks, showing that the 77 largest city park systems nationwide provide more than 1.3 million acres of parkland. The 77 cities added more than 5,000 acres of parkland as the public turns to local parks in a time when [...]
Filed under: planning | Tagged: research, usership | Leave a Comment »
Songs & Parks
Posted on August 16, 2009 by Ben Welle
Muddy Waters, Walkin’ Thru the Park
Filed under: uncategorized | Tagged: songs & parks | Leave a Comment »
Some news from around….
Posted on August 14, 2009 by Ben Welle
Kids in St. Paul grow food and learn about community. (MinnPost) An expensive hot dog vending license. (NY Daily News) Some local governments snatching up parkland in down economy. (Washington Post) Kaid Benfield talks about the American Farmland Trust’s favorite farmers’ markets contest. (Switchboard) Leader of skateboarding and skatepark movement, Andy Kessler dies. (NYT Happy [...]
Filed under: uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Some Evidence of Park Usership Increases
Posted on August 14, 2009 by Ben Welle
Local park agencies around the country are reporting increased usage this year. With an economy in the red, the nearby green of parks seems to be convincing people into so-called “stay-cations” that don’t require travel expenses. In Minneapolis, there was a more-than 15 percent increase in the number of visits to the city’s regional parks. [...]
Filed under: planning | Tagged: usership | Leave a Comment »
Google Parks
Posted on August 13, 2009 by Ben Welle
Word has it that Google is riding its camera-equipped trike through parks and other non-street places to expand its Street View function that allows users to see an actual on-the-ground photo of such places within maps. According to Matt Williams, Google’s Streets View Operations Manager, “Most recently we’ve added a new vehicle to our fleet [...]
Filed under: uncategorized | 6 Comments »
Philadelphia: Improving Access to Gardens & Markets
Posted on August 12, 2009 by Ben Welle
With the community gardening movement experiencing increasing popularity, some cities are undertaking innovative efforts to expand access to these facilities. In Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter directed the creation of a strategic plan called Green Works. One of the plan’s key goals is to “bring local food within 10 minutes [walk] of 75 percent of residents. [...]
Filed under: facilities, planning | Tagged: community gardening, food, philadelphia | 2 Comments »
Golf for kids in dense cities
Posted on August 10, 2009 by Ben Welle
The New York Times reports on a program in New York City to get more kids golfing. The City Parks Foundation expanded this program to include a new kid-oriented golf course in Brooklyn but the article also offers some insight into how programming ball fields as driving ranges can get kids playing where courses are [...]
Filed under: partnerships, programming | Tagged: golf, new york city | 1 Comment »
Counting Users for Big Events in Parks/Beaches
Posted on August 5, 2009 by Ben Welle
Patrick McGeehan of the New York Times City Room blog has an interesting post on how to count visitors to parks, especially for well attended beaches and large public events. The case in point here is counting users of New York City public beaches. McGeehan describes how it is difficult to merely go around an [...]
Filed under: maintenance/management | Leave a Comment »
New Online Tools to Win Park Funding Initiatives
Posted on August 4, 2009 by Ben Welle
The Conservation Campaign has released some new informational tools to help those interested in passing public funding for parks and land conservation in their communities. From TCC: The investment of substantial public funding–typically through voter initiatives for a bond or a small dedicated tax–has fueled a nationwide movement to revitalize cities through the creation and [...]
Filed under: funding | 1 Comment »
