Pittsburgh’s Schenley Plaza Receives International Recognition

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Ben Welle

Schenley Plaza in Pittsburgh continues to garner national and now international praise. The parking lot-to-park project of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy won a 2009 International Award for Livable Communities (the “LivCom” Awards) this past week in the Czech Republic and last month won the Pinnacle Award from the International Downtown Association. “It has been wonderful [...]

Filed under: international, partnerships, renewal, transportation | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Engaging Immigrants in City Parks

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Ben Welle

A unique project in New York City has been devising better ways to engage with immigrant communities. The Immigrants & Parks Collaborative, funded by the JM Kaplan Fund, City Parks Foundation and New York Immigration Coalition, has supported work with ten community-based organizations in eight parks to provide a dedicated staff person for participatory planning, [...]

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A Greenway in the Heart of New Orleans

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Ben Welle

We nearly missed mentioning a new greenway emerging in New Orleans that will run from City Park to the edge of the French Quarter. The project has a lot of potential in terms of economic development and creating a separate bike and walking trail right in the heart of the city. The city is moving [...]

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A Green City: Parks in Curitiba, Brazil

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Ben Welle

One of the most well regarded world cities in terms of urban planning is Curitiba, Brazil — a place known for its efficient and innovative bus rapid transit system. But the city is also known for its parks, in particular using them to increase quality of life and act as green infrastructure to protect against [...]

Filed under: green infrastructure, international | Tagged: , , | 4 Comments »

Skate Parks: From New Trend to Mainstream?

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Ben Welle

Its seems like skate parks have been a “trend” in urban parks for some time now, and they have very slowly entered into the mainstream planning of park facilities. A recent article put together by the TPL’s Center for City Park Excellence concluded just that, indicating that “there are only 180 skate parks in the [...]

Filed under: facilities, planning | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

Some news from around….

Posted on October 9, 2009 by Ben Welle

What role will sustainable transportation – including biking and walking – in the Climate Change bill? With 30 percent of greenhouse gases coming from transportation, Smart Growth America urges action on increasing the share of cap and trade revenue going towards these elements. (SGA) The a great story about a small triangle park in D.C., [...]

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New Federal Legislation: Funding Parks for Livable Communities

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Ben Welle

New legislation has been proposed by Rep. Sires of New Jersey that would include funding for parks to foster livable communities. The National Recreation and Park Association has sent out information and a call for action to pass this legislation. Here it is: The Urban Revitalization and Livable Communities Act, HR 3734, introduced by Rep. [...]

Filed under: funding | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Healthy Cities Have Bike Stations

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Ben Welle

Last week a new bike station opened in Washington, D.C. on prime public space – next to the city’s Union Station. Bike centers are popping up in other cities, with some of the most successful being co-located with parks and trails. We visited the Midtown Bike Center in Minneapolis last month, and biked away incredibly [...]

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Small Parks for Kids in Compact Neighborhoods

Posted on October 7, 2009 by Ben Welle

Vancouver, Canada is considered a model for infilling with compact, densely populated development. But there is a problem to this. As Regarding Place points out, a map of the distribution of children in the city shows that few of them are in areas that have seen the most concentrated development in the past few decades. [...]

Filed under: planning | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

The 100 Acres Art & Nature Park in Indianapolis

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Ben Welle

The sculpture garden-style park is being taken to a whole new level with the Virginia Fairbanks Art and Nature Park in Indianapolis. The new 100-acre area was formerly a gravel pit, quarry and construction site. The park will be run by the Indianapolis Museum of Art and will play host to natural amenities and art [...]

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