Learning to Share: Designing Schoolyards for More Than Just Recess

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Peter Harnik

A sixth excerpt from the recently released book published by Island Press called Urban Green: Innovative Parks for Resurgent Cities. In this post, we look at some cities who have created parkland by sharing schoolyards with their parks departments. Schoolyards are large, flat, centrally located open spaces with a mandate to serve the recreational needs of schoolchildren. Great schoolyards–the rare [...]

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Ask the Expert: Are Artificial Turf Fields Safe?

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Jordan Thaler

After a damp, cold winter that morphed into a damp, cold spring, Portland was recently forced to close all of its grass play fields for several weekends in order to prevent irreparable damage (see right photo). On a typical weekend, the fields are replete with soccer players, kickball tournaments, and pick-up Frisbee games. Should Portland follow [...]

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Award-Winning Parks Projects From Hollywood to New York

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Ryan Donahue

At first glance, Cahuenga Peak, the backdrop to the Hollywood sign, might seem more like a supporting actor than a bona fide star. But it got its moment in the spotlight last year as The Trust for Public Land helped save it from becoming a luxury housing development. Now it has been named “Best New [...]

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Velociraptors in Prospect Park?

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Coleen Gentles

Unicorns, saber-toothed tigers and velociraptors, oh my! Last summer, the self-appointed “Non-Traditional Park Preservation Task Force” posted signs in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park warning users to stay on the paths or risk becoming prey to some unexpected four-legged creatures. The signs were posted to discourage vandals from breaking the fences, traipsing around the ravine and disturbing the newly replanted top soil. [...]

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The Greenbelt and Gilbert Lindsay Park Selected as “Frontline Parks”

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Angelina Horn

Each month, City Parks Alliance recognizes two “Frontline Parks“ to promote inspiring examples of urban park excellence, innovation and stewardship across the country in the face of shrinking municipal budgets, land use pressures and urban neighborhood decay. February’s selections highlight the importance of recreation in urban areas. One of the primary functions of urban parks [...]

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The Urban Agriculture Movement: Partnerships in Motion

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Coleen Gentles

It’s fairly common for cities to have community gardens located on public parkland.  But what if these gardens were not just isolated patches of green space serving only the neighborhood they are located in?  What if these gardens were actually part of a larger citywide movement to promote urban sustainability? A recent article on Urban [...]

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Dumpster Diving on New York’s Park Avenue

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Coleen Gentles

Credit: Alan Miles NYC (Flickr Feed) Of the many unique activities New York is known for, the most entertaining this summer involved closing roads and opening pools, specifically dumpster swimming pools.   For the third summer in a row, New York’s Department of Transportation presented the Summer Streets program, closing almost seven miles of posh Park [...]

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Some news from around…

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Elissa Hoagland Izmailyan

Two different ways to design and program public space: 1) “Street Pianos” are coming to New York, and will be prominently placed in a number of parks. The pianos have been successful in London, São Paulo and other cities. (Village Voice); and 2) from Toronto, color and art comes in the form of painted “nature-inspired [...]

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Some news from around…

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Elissa Hoagland Izmailyan

In Boston, the iconic Christian Science Center and Plaza plans for redesign on a human scale, adding a pedestrian bridge to the massive reflecting pool and adding trees and benches (Boston Globe). The Urbanophile covers People for Urban Progress (PUP), an Indianapolis nonprofit which is repurposing city materials to repair and improve the park system. [...]

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Some news from around…

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Elissa Hoagland Izmailyan

New plans for a greenway along the Allegheny Riverfront in Pittsburgh. Next American City has the story, along with a fantastic picture of Point State Park. Kaid Benfield at NRDC reviews Peter Harnik’s “Urban Green: Innovative Parks for Resurgent Cities.” Jonathan Lerner at Miller-McCune discusses the connections between urban planning and public health, highlighting the [...]

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