- It seems like a no-brainer: dismantling Philadelphia’s abandoned Reading Viaduct would cost much more than transforming it into a three-quarter mile elevated park that could spur residential development in the Center City neighborhood. Advocates are starting to gather the political and financial support to get the project moving. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
- In Milwaukee, a business group and Juneau Park Friends are offering to establish a local tax district to fund a major upgrade of two downtown parks and take over the daily maintenance of all county parks. While this management model has been used successfully in other cities, it would be a first for Milwaukee. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
- Interior Secretary Ken Salazar hopes to make Floyd Bennett Field, a 1930s airfield in New York City, part of the next generation of urban parks by building 90 campsites in the next two years and starting an outreach campaign aimed at low-income communities. (The Christian Science Monitor)
- After two failed attempts, New York City has successfully found a partner in AT&T to bring wireless hotspots to 19 New York City parks, more than doubling the number of parks with wireless access. (The New York Times)
- Residents of Wilmington, a district in south Los Angeles, were going to be “buffered” from the industrial port by a 20-foot wall – but the community dug in and insisted on something better. The 30-acre Wilmington Waterfront Park, which recently opened, is the result. (Torrance Daily Breeze)
- Austin, Texas is beginning to plan a park-focused revitalization of Waller Creek, and is drawing inspiration from Houston, where public-private partnerships enabled the construction of the transformative downtown Discovery Green. (The Austin American-Statesman)
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