“Parklets” are undeniably one of the hottest trends in urban parks, and the epicenter of the movement is San Francisco. This article provides some insight into the design process, with profiles of the designers of some of the city’s notable parklets. (The Bold Italic) This piece from Next American City details some of the changes [...]
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St. Louis has passed two bond measures for city parks totaling $64 million, along with a commitment of another $280 million in private matching funds. The repair and renovation of city parks is expected to create 580 construction jobs and generate $1 million in sales and income tax for the city. (The St. Louis American) [...]
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A partnership of agencies in Minneapolis are pushing for a greener downtown, highlighted by the Gateway, a project that would create a center-city park and a connection to the Mississippi River. (Star Tribune) Dog parks have been exploding in popularity over the past several years, but a dog park planned for Hudson River Park in [...]
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A record-setting $20 million donation to the High Line will fund the design of the third and final segment of the wildly popular park, and also help fund the considerable operating costs borne by Friends of the High Line. (The New York Times) Though Chicago’s lakefront is packed with parks, much of the rest of [...]
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The Central Park Conservancy just completed the final phase of the massive overhaul of Central Park that began with the Conservancy’s formation in 1980. Now they’re turning to maintenance and work on trail and drainage improvements. (The New York Times) Georgetown Waterfront Park, a previously barren stretch of land beneath D.C.’s Whitehurst Freeway, opened last [...]
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Austin, Texas is embracing a plan that lays out a path towards smart growth and a more vibrant center city over the next decade. The City Council is considering a master plan that will guide $350 million in investment to downtown parks, transport, and moderately priced housing. (The Austin American-Statesman ) Jimi Hendrix, one of Seattle’s [...]
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Los Angeles is working to expand the successful Summer Night Lights program, which leaves lights on until midnight and provides supervised activities at public parks in an effort to provide a safe haven from gang activity. (WPRI.com) The completion of the Scioto Mile, a centerpiece riverfront park in Columbus, Ohio, has highlighted the need for [...]
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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 [...]
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This week’s opening of Columbus Commons, a downtown park on the site of an old mall, already has people anticipating a strong residential and commercial market response (The Columbus Dispatch) In Seattle, landscape architect James Corner unveiled “big ideas” for a more accessible, walkable waterfront with numerous parks jutting out into Elliott Bay (The Seattle [...]
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New York City’s green infrastructure plan, which will rely on parks to control stormwater runoff, is certainly forward looking, but its roots can be traced back two hundred years (The New York Times) With tighter budgets, parks departments are looking for ways to maintain parks for less. Enter what might be described as the “Ziptrailer” model, [...]
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