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Some News From Around…

Ryan Donahue — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 03:58:22 +0000

To hasten its ambitious goal of a county-wide network of parks, trails and greenways, Miami-Dade parks administrators are looking to purchase cheap, disused commercial strips, buildings or car lots, and install a park on them while setting aside a portion for future development. (The Miami Herald)
Glendale and Peoria, Arizona grapple with park ranger shortages and look for alternatives to monitor the parks, including increased police presence and resident volunteers. (The Republic)
Arlington, Texas prepares to open three parks in May, including Crystal Canyon Natural Area, a 39-acre site saved from development more than 15 years ago by a group of vocal residents. (Star-Telegram)
A public-private partnership between Boston’s Esplanade Association and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation might be the key to implementing a vision for the Charles River Esplanade. (The Boston Globe)
Totaling nearly 4,000 acres, four interconnected parks, known collectively as the Parklands, would hug much of the northeastern and southern edge of the Louisville/Jefferson County line and include a variety of recreational areas and, hopefully, a major new civic realm in Louisville’s largely undifferentiated urban fringe. (The Atlantic Cities)

April’s Frontline Park: Discovery Green

Angelina Horn — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:27:59 +0000

Discovery Green is a 12-acre park created from a downtown parking lot by a public-private partnership between the City of Houston and the non-profit Discovery Green Conservancy. In less than four years, the site that became Discovery Green was transformed from an undeveloped, concrete eyesore into one of the most beautiful and vibrant destinations in Houston.

Screen on Discovery Green

The park features an outdoor concert pavilion, restaurants, a mist fountain for hot summer days, several distinct gardens featuring public art, and outdoor “reading rooms.” In its first three years, the park welcomed more than three million visitors and hosted more than 800 public and private events. The Discovery Green Conservancy works with hundreds of programming partners to present three dynamic seasons each year. The Conservancy raises all the funds needed for the programming and ensures that the park remains an accessible and inviting public gathering space in the center of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Downtown Anchor

Discovery Green was conceived not only as a public park, but as a landmark to attract convention revenue to the City, and as an anchor for downtown development. That goal was achieved as adjacent development, a residential high rise, a commercial office tower, hotel and a mixed-use development–a combined $500 million investment–all came to fruition. Since the park opened, the adjacent George R. Brown Convention Center has hosted major conventions such as Microsoft and Society of American Travel Writers. The model has been so successful that new parks in Houston are being designed with Discovery Green in mind.

Discovery Green will be featured on the City Parks Alliance homepage until the end of the month.

The “Frontline Parks” program is made possible with generous support from DuMor, Inc. and PlayCore.

Some News from Around…

Ryan Donahue — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:21:13 +0000

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission adopted a master plan for the Central Delaware that is centered around a series of parks, spaced at half-mile intervals and joined by a multi-use recreational trail. The design is aimed at revitalizing a neighborhood cut off from the waterfront by I-95. (PlanPhilly)
San Francisco, which last received bond funding for city parks in 2008, is planning on requesting more funding through a November bond. The Port of San Francisco hopes to use some of the funds to make the waterfront more walkable, through the creation of a new 3-acre park and the overhaul of another. (The San Francisco Examiner)
Kansas City park board members fear that current budget cuts will cause lasting damage to the park and recreation system, and fear that a failure to renew a vehicle licensing fee this summer will result in further damage. (The Kansas City Star)
Prospect Park in New York City has become a focal point for clashes between cars, bicyclists, and pedestrians on a well-used 3.3-mile loop road. Part of the solution lies in a potential design change that would separate users more completely by reducing car lanes. (The New York Times)
Denver Bike Sharing and Denver Parks and Recreation are applying for a grant that would fund the installation of six “B-cycle” stations in four city parks, a plan which requires working around the ban on advertising in Denver parks. (Denver Westword News)

Some News from Around…

Ryan Donahue — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:37:13 +0000

“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 that have been made in the plans to revamp the grounds of the Gateway Arch, and to create stronger connections with the surrounding cityscape. (Next American City)
Tulsa’s park director explains the political and economic context of the dramatic turnaround of that city’s park system. (Tulsa World)
The Washington Monument, closed since being extensively damaged in an August earthquake, just got a huge boost towards re-opening, in the form of a $7.5 million donation from a local philanthropist. (Washington Post)
Two stories of well-loved botanical gardens in Seattle and Vancouver, facing struggles with governance and funding. (King 5 Seattle) (Vancouver Sun)

Some News from Around…

Ryan Donahue — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:44:44 +0000

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)
The Los Angeles Times documents an unfortunate miscommunication between city departments that resulted in a nearly-finished and highly anticipated new park being bulldozed and turned into a school. (Los Angeles Times)
The success of the High Line has rekindled hopes of turning a 3.5-mile section of unused city-owned railway tracks in Queens into an elevated trail. (ABC Local)
A utilities company will pay for the remediation of four highly contaminated acres alongside Washington, D.C.’s Anacostia River, a significant step in the ongoing work to transform the riverfront into an urban park and trail system. (The Washington Post)

Some News from Around…

Ryan Donahue — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:44:12 +0000

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 New York sets a new standard, with amenities such as a canine-operated water feature. (DNAinfo.com)
Los Angeles unveiled plans to build 50 new pocket parks throughout the city. Ten of the new parks will be on the lots of foreclosed homes, a product of a partnership with the city’s Housing Department. (Los Angeles Daily News)
Approved by voters in a 1998 bond election, Austin’s Butler Park, meant to be the city’s own Central Park, is finally headed towards completion. There is, however, continuing debate about how to fund the final phase of the project. (Austin American-Statesman)

Some News From Around…

Ryan Donahue — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 21:50:50 +0000

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 the city suffers from a shortage of green space. Blair Kamin digs into the statistics and uncovers some of the city’s “park deserts.” (Chicago Tribune)
The American Planning Association recently released its annual “Great Places in America” list, highlighting ten of the nation’s most impressive urban parks. (American Planning Association)
In Grand Rapids, Michigan, a shrinking population and declining enrollment in public schools has led to plans to convert empty school buildings into apartments and repurpose school grounds as community parks. (The Grand Rapids Press)
For 25 years, San Francisco Bay Area parks leaders have been piecing together the Bay Area Ridge Trail, which will eventually form a 550-mile ring around the entire metro area. The largest addition in four years, a 5.2 mile segment in Silicon Valley, was just completed. (Silicon Valley Mercury News)
An aging U.S. Bureau of Mines property in Minneapolis is being converted to a 27-acre natural area on the Mississippi River. It will remove a number of blighted buildings and provide a mainland base for the 35-acre Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. (Star Tribune)

Some news from around…

Ryan Donahue — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 21:35:21 +0000

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 week, forming the final link in a stretch of greenways extending along the Potomac River from D.C. to Cumberland, MD and Mount Vernon, VA. (WTOP.com)
The success of the High Line has sparked a movement, with many other cities searching for their own reusable elevated corridors. Meanwhile, a new plan to create a subterranean linear park in New York City has generated a lot of excitment. (The L Magazine)
Scores of cities are considering banning smoking in public parks out of concern for public health. But with the outbreak of wildfires across Texas this summer, Houston has another reason to crack down on smokers in city parks. (My Fox Houston)

Some news from around…

Ryan Donahue — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:10:21 +0000

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 most recognizable music icons, has a park dedicated in his name, but it doesn’t do justice to his legacy. A group is raising money to carry out a redesign, to take place in 2012, that includes some remarkable music-themed installations. (The Seattle Times )
Though the garbage beneath New York City’s Freshkills Park is disappearing beneath switchgrass and wildflowers, the methane gas it produces, and the substantial income that the city gains from selling it, should be around for years to come. (Bloomberg)
Muskogee, Oklahoma, in search of a “brand” and an edge over similar-sized cities in attracting businesses, is committing $2.5 million over five years for improvements to its city parks. (Muskogee Phoenix )
14-acre Dolores Park in San Francisco has $7.9 million left to spend from its share of the city’s Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond, and a wide array of users have come forward to express their preferences for improvements and additions. (The New York Times )

Some news from around…

Ryan Donahue — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:07:22 +0000

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 measures to control sewer overflows and improve water quality. (The Columbus Dispatch)
A proposal to allow cyclists to share pedestrian paths crossing Central Park has bicycling advocates, residents, and park leaders thinking about the relationship between parks and different modes of transportation. (The New York Times)
Santa Monica, like other areas of Southern California that have long under-emphasized the public realm, is seeking to reverse its course in dramatic fashion, with two new downtown parks designed by James Corner of High Line fame. (Los Angeles Times)
A pier currently being used as a parking lot, and previously as an industrial site, is set to be converted into a park in an area of New York City with the lowest ratio of parks to residents and office workers. (The New York Times)
San Diego, where discussions surrounding park planning have traditionally been muted, is in the midst of some contentious debates about the future of its signature parks. (The San Diego Union-Tribune)