Denver’s cemeteries grow into the role of public parks with free concerts, art displays and elegant gardens (Denver Post). ASLA’s The Dirt provides a detailed summary of Peter Harnik’s Wednesday presentation of his new book, which discusses ways to incorporate parks into built-out cities (and guidance on how to plan for them). Earth Policy Institute’s [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: los angeles, washington dc, health, international, parking, denver, santa ana | Leave a Comment »
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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The major snow storm that hit Washington, D.C. this weekend may have shut everything down, but festive residents in the Columbia Heights neighborhood flocked to Meridian Hill Park to enjoy the deluge of white stuff. There seemed to be almost more people in the park than normally found on a Sunday in June. People could [...]
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There’s something about pleasant fall days in city parks filled with people. Below is a picture from Meridian Hill Park in Washington, D.C. this past Sunday, which was particularly warm. Many were gathered for what may be one of the last gatherings until Spring of the drum circle that congregates in the park every Sunday [...]
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The Washington Post ran a nice story on residents waking up at very early hours and even camping out on top of picnic benches to grab space for their outings on Labor Day in the District of Columbia’s parks. Here’s the lead paragraphs: When James Caldwell has a yen for a weekend cookout at Anacostia [...]
Filed under: economics, facilities | Tagged: washington dc | 1 Comment »
Like the famous Supreme Court decision on a certain topic, you know a good public place when you see it. But what is it that makes these spaces work? The National Building Museum is presenting a series of mini-documentaries identifying these characteristics in what they call Great Green Places. According to the Museum: By “green” [...]
Filed under: facilities, planning | Tagged: usership, washington dc | 5 Comments »
Look to be charged five cents for every disposable paper or plastic carryout bag beginning January 1, 2010 in Washington, D.C.’s grocery and other retail stores. The resulting revenue will help pay for a new Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Fund. Administered by the District’s Department of the Environment, the fund will use proceeds to [...]
Filed under: funding, green infrastructure | Tagged: plastic bags, washington dc | 5 Comments »
A great indoor public market in Washington, D.C. just reopened (see Washington Post story) after reconstruction following a fire in 2007. An indoor-only operation during the week, and an added outdoor farmers and flea market on the weekends, Eastern Market is one of Washington’s best public spaces. Every city should have something like this. Here [...]
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The Interior Department just announced that some of Washington, D.C.’s parks will receive funding for improvements and rehabilitation under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, including the National Mall and the large and maintenance-backlogged Rock Creek Park, the city’s largest park. The Washington Post: The District of Columbia War Memorial, the domed temple to the [...]
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In a series of posts, we will begin featuring excerpts from the recently released publication from TPL on measuring the economic value of city parks. In this first post, we look at the increased property values attributed to parks in Washington, D.C.: The most famous park in Washington, D.C. may be the National Mall with [...]
Filed under: economics | Tagged: property values, washington dc | Leave a Comment »
