The New York Times had a nice piece the other day on the city’s 50 plus fountains. If there is any quintessential park design feature, it may be the fountain. They were included in earlier plazas (think Rome), the larger parks of the 1800s such as Central Park and all of its cousins acro0ss the [...]
Filed under: facilities, funding | Tagged: fountains | 1 Comment »
A movement may be picking up to replace aging freeways in core cities with boulevards that open up land for development of buildings, tree-lined corridors and reconnect urban centers to their most prized assets. The U.S. Department of Transportation is suggesting in its strategic plan that replacement of freeways with boulevards in some cities may [...]
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Urban parks advocates from across the country traveled to Washington, DC, on Tuesday, April 20th to lobby members of congress in support of city parks. Forty park professionals participated in City Parks Alliance Day on the Hill, which consisted of a legislative overview, training session, and congressional office visits. Participants then attended the the Congressional [...]
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There’s a good deal of activity going on in Congress that could benefit parks and public spaces in cities, with two recent efforts showing up that have promise and would help cities in different but both very good ways: Smart Growth Around America describes the Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act, which would incentivize and [...]
Filed under: funding, green infrastructure, planning, transportation | Tagged: federal policy | Leave a Comment »
The Baltimore Sun has come out in favor of imposing a plastic bag fee there similar to the one recently imposed in Washington, D.C. The Sun recommends that a 5-cent fee “should be seen as an investment in a cleaner, greener Baltimore, not just another revenue stream for the city’s general fund.” It recommends that [...]
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Many city park systems around the country are faced with increasing deferred maintenance costs to repair or replace facilities. This ranges from neglected Olmsted-designed parks to aging playground equipment, benches and walkways. One system that embodies this is Milwaukee County, which runs the city and county parks and has an estimated $200 million backlog of [...]
Filed under: funding | Tagged: milwaukee | 2 Comments »
The Community Development Block Grant has been one of the most effective vehicles for creating jobs under the Recovery Act (or stimulus), according to an analysis by the Brookings Institution and posted at The Avenue. The review indicates that “some 820 CDBG grants traceable in the [Recovery.gov] database are delivering a job for every $7,000 [...]
Filed under: funding, stimulus funds | Tagged: federal policy | 1 Comment »
Earlier this month, Rep. Earl Blumenauer announced the creation of a congressional Livable Communities Task Force, with a mission to make the Federal Government a better partner with communities in their efforts to improve quality of life. The now group indicates that it will will promote Federal policies that: Allow for local community involvement in [...]
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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. [...]
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The New York Times ran an editorial yesterday on the debut of Ken Burns’ new documentary on the National Parks called America’s Best Idea. The editorial calls for this “best idea” to be “protected and celebrated” as well as to look at opportunities for new parks. Now may be a good time, especially with the [...]
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