Places in the News

Physical Constraints Force Reno Planners to Consider Smart Growth [news.rgj.com]

"Reno's city limits have reached the California border and long-range plans call for them to stretch further north in the coming decades. Acres of cow pasture have been converted to strip malls, athletic clubs, warehouses and tract homes. What was once rural is now suburban, or even urban.

...With most of Reno constrained by the Sierra Nevada and Virginia ranges, city officials would like to put more people and places along the main arteries: Virginia and Fourth streets.

Build up, not out, planners say. Create walkable, unique neighborhoods. Provide a variety of housing options and encourage people to live near their jobs. Improve public transportation and find a way to get residents to ride it."

09:03 AM, 28 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

'Mall Backlash' Helps Old-Style Downtowns [news.enquirer.com]

"Holiday shoppers who are feeling mauled at the malls are finding refuge, charm and unusual wares in Lebanon, one of the Cincinnati region's few remaining real downtowns.

...In an era of big chain stores offering discounts and Web sites providing convenience, independent retailers such as those in Lebanon, Hyde Park and Bellevue must surmount tough odds to remain afloat.

But some national trends seem to be working in their favor: "mall backlash" and the quest for an unusual gift that doesn't appear mass-produced, experts say."

08:58 AM, 28 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reviving the Glory of Hoboken Terminal [nytimes.com]

"For many commuters, the Hoboken Terminal is not much more than a place to hustle through during rush hour en route to waiting trains, buses, boats and cabs. Yet those commuters could soon be in less of a hurry, and maybe even stop and stay awhile.

New Jersey Transit, the state's largest public transportation agency, and the owner of the green-roofed terminal on the Hudson River waterfront, is restoring the building, which was originally the home of the Erie Lackawanna Railroad.

In the process, the agency hopes to unlock the earning potential of an underused resource by adding stores, restaurants and possibly apartments on the 65-acre site. If passengers treat the terminal as more of a destination, it will in turn increase passenger trips, the thinking goes, which will generate additional revenues. Ultimately, New Jersey Transit might collect rents from tenants that never existed before."

09:01 AM, 21 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets | Permalink | Comments (0)

Transit Strike in NYC [www.transalt.org]

This morning members of the PPS staff made our way to our office in Manhattan on foot, by water taxi, car, taxi, and several on bikes.

For tips on how to get around the city during the transit strike, visit the Transportation Alternatives' "Bike the Strike" resource page.

Tell us your story - how were you affected by the strike and how did you get around town?

02:36 PM, 20 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (7)

How to Have a Blast as a Pedestrian [www.thestar.com]

Cars get horns, why not pedestrians?

11:33 AM, 20 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Madison Prepares to Make Infill, New Urbanism "Official" City Policy [www.madison.com]

"After three years of preparation, the city of Madison is set to adopt a sweeping comprehensive plan that reverses the trend of sprawling growth in the last half-century.

Instead, it envisions more dense, attractive projects filling parking lots and replacing single-story strip malls - while respecting the character of older neighborhoods. And it promotes "New Urbanist" mixed-use neighborhoods on the outskirts where people can rely less on cars while preserving farmland and open spaces."

10:25 AM, 20 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

BWI Trail Circles Airport and Links Neighborhoods to Five Modes of Transportation [www.progressiveengineer.com]

More than a recreational venue, the BWI Trail circles Baltimore-Washington International Airport to link neighborhoods, communities, and five modes of transportation. It is the nation's only trail that circles a commercial airport.

12:12 PM, 19 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Parks , Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reclaming the Street by Creating a Urban Park [www.rebargroup.org]

What are we giving up by providing so much space on our city streets for parked cars?

The Rebar Group in San Francisco conducted an interesting experiment last month to show how easy and effective it is to reclaim a parking space. They created a temporary park out of a parking space on the street - they fed the meter, rolled out turf, put out a bench and a tree, and watched as people stopped to relax, read the paper, or have a chat with a stranger.

09:39 AM, 19 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Parks , Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (1)

In Exurbs, Life Framed by Hours Spent in the Car [www.nytimes.com]

The population of Frisco, TX, an exurb of Dallas, grew nearly 450% from 1990 - 2000, turning what used to be short car trips across town into maddening crawls through traffic.

08:47 AM, 19 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

An Odd Request to a Prison: Don't Fence the Inmates In [www.nytimes.com]

Residents of Shakopee, MN, find the women's prison in their town to be a good neighbor, and oppose plans to build a 12-foot wall around the complex. They say the wall would destroy the character of the neighborhood, and the goodwill between residents and the prison. The prison currently allows locals to jog and bike ride on prison grounds, which are currently surrounded by a 3-foot hedge. The prison also rents garden plots to residents, and for a time, ran a day care center.

08:31 AM, 19 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Buildings | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seattle Turns Unusual Site Into an Urban Park [seattlepi.nwsource.com]

In a cavernous space under a freeway, the City of Seattle has built a new 7.5-acre park that features an off-leash dog park, two landscaped picnic areas, and an elaborate public art project that recreates weather patterns. An urban mountain-biking course is expected to open next fall. Local residents hope that the park and its trails will reconnect neighborhoods that were disconnected when the freeway was built.

09:19 AM, 12 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Parks , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shadows Come Alive on Brooklyn's Sidewalks [www.nytimes.com]

Artist Ellis Gallagher traces the outlines of shadows cast by everything from bicycles to garbage cans onto the sidewalks of Park Slope and Carroll Gardens, temporarily transforming the street with his public art.

09:10 AM, 12 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets | Permalink | Comments (0)

Considering "Public" and "Place" in Denver [www.denverpost.com]

Several starchitects are clamoring to build Denver's new Civic Center -- but the city shouldn't forget about the important principles of 'public' and 'place,' says a Denver Post columnist.

10:02 AM, 06 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Buildings | Permalink | Comments (0)

Planning Neighborhood-Centered Schools [www.planningreport.com]

Marty Blank of the Coalition for Community Schools helps neighborhoods across the country realize the dream of smaller, better, community-focused schools.

09:55 AM, 06 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Buildings | Permalink | Comments (0)

Creative Traffic Calming Methods: Art Installations Meet Road Safety [news.bbc.co.uk]

A campaign is under way to lower speed limits to 20mph in urban areas, but what's going to make drivers slow down? A bossy road sign, a hump in the road or a three-piece suite parked in the road?

David Engwicht refers to these creative traffic calming tactics as "mental speed bumps." Visit PPS's online bookstore to find out more, and to purchase a copy of Mental Speed Bumps.

08:13 AM, 06 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (2)

Atlanta Looks to Abandoned Railroad Tracks to Build 22-mile Necklace of Parks and Paths [www.picayuneitem.com]

The sprawling metropolis always has given park proponents a headache. Founded as a railroad hub, the city has no ocean, no mountains and no major body of water to serve as a built-in foundation for a park system.

One of the only opportunities for adding green space is manmade - the mostly unused railroad tracks that ring the city, dotted with rundown warehouses and abandoned depots.

11:55 AM, 05 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Parks , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Automaker Discourages Employees from Driving to Work [www.nytimes.com]

Japanese automaker Mazda Motor Corp. is recommending its employees walk to the office, rather than commute by car, as part of an effort to improve their health and protect the environment, a company spokesman said Friday.

09:57 AM, 05 Dec 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets | Permalink | Comments (0)

Biking in L.A. Uncovers a Different Side of the City [www.slate.com]

What would it feel like to commute in Los Angeles on a bike? Turns out, while major thoroughfares are jammed with cars, the back streets are blissfully quiet.

10:05 AM, 30 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Farmers' Market Provides Fresh Food, and a Sense of Accomplishment [www.gothamgazette.com]

The East New York Farms! farmers' market in Brooklyn was once an overgrown lot, but now sees over 600 customers on weekends perusing the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. The market serves a population where the rate of obesity is thirty percent and diabetes is fifteen percent - both almost double the city average. Almost half do not graduate high school, and over a third live below the poverty level. By selling food and educating its customers, the market's organizers hope to improve the health of this struggling neighborhood. They also see themselves forging a sense of community accomplishment.

09:53 AM, 30 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Markets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Designing Livable Cities [www.raisethehammer.org]

Donald Schmitt discusses the cost of sprawl, two-way streets, and the role citizens play in ensuring good architecture.

09:47 AM, 30 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thinking Outside the Big Box: Designs Shift from Suburban to Urban [www.charlotte.com]

"The huge cinder-block stores that have defined suburbia for a generation are undergoing a facelift.

City planners in Charlotte and other towns are taking a stronger stand against big-box stores such as Wal-Mart and Lowe's, responding to complaints about their monotonous facades and high vacancy rates.

In Charlotte, the two newest Wal-Marts -- on Sardis Road North and Wilkinson Boulevard -- look nothing like the chain's standard gray-and-blue boxes behind a sea of parking. Instead, you'll find brick walls, parking away from the street and architectural details such as awnings and faux windows."

08:28 AM, 30 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Buildings | Permalink | Comments (0)

Katrina Evacuees Feel Isolated in Car-Dependent Suburbia [www.statesman.com]

Evacuees from New Orleans, one of the country's most dense and vibrant cities, find themselves isolated in apartment complexes without the history, community, and public transportation that they were used to.

09:12 AM, 28 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Playing the Fame Game: How Celebrity Architecture Is Pervading Design and Development [www.ladowntownnews.com]

New high-profile architects can add prestige to downtown Los Angeles, but at what cost to the skyline?

09:00 AM, 28 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Buildings | Permalink | Comments (0)

Let Rural Road Meandor, Straight Streets Bring More Cars [www.baltimoresun.com]

"The narrow, curvy and sometimes congested roads that wind through rural northern Baltimore County should be kept the way they are, according to a study to be released today by a Towson-based land preservation group.

Though creating wider, straighter roads might seem a logical response to increasing traffic volume, the transportation consultants hired by the Valleys Planning Council concluded that bigger roads only bring more cars traveling faster.

The Valleys Planning Council plans to lobby county officials to adopt the recommendations as formal rural roads design standards."

08:51 AM, 28 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Farmers markets in winter? [seattletimes.nwsource.com]

Weekend farmers markets in Seattle's University District and in West Seattle will operate during January and February this winter, an experiment to gauge consumer interest after a year of record sales.

Most farmers markets run from late spring to early fall, but many vendors have stretched the season by a few weeks. And business has been so impressive that many farmers and food vendors want to sell during cold, wet January and February and find out if there is enough consumer support to open every weekend year-round.

08:21 AM, 22 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Markets | Permalink | Comments (0)

Miami Proposes "World Class" Park System as Part of Smart Growth Blueprint [www.miami.com]

Last in park-space per 1,000 residents among the 12 densest cities on a Trust for Public Land list, but one of the hottest housing construction spots nationwide, Miami hopes to create "a world-class park system" as part of the Miami 21 smart-growth blueprint now in the works, with city commissioners tentatively approving a large increase in developer impact fees.

08:10 AM, 22 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Parks | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jan Gehl Addresses Need to Reduce Auto Traffic in NYC [www.nytimes.com]

Jan Gehl, a Danish architect whose fervent advocacy of bicycle lanes, pedestrian walkways and restrictions on car use have made him renowned among urban planners, addressed leaders of NYC's business improvement districts, and several city officials, on the need to reduce the automobile's dominance of public spaces.

08:37 AM, 18 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Philadelphia Landmark Market Hall Squeezed by Convenience of Chains [www.philly.com]

Reading Terminal Market's manager says changes are needed because it is losing money to competitors. The market is fighting competition from Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, which have longer hours and deeper pockets.

07:16 AM, 18 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Markets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Schools Vital Part of Smart Growth Strategy [www.montgomeryadvertiser.com]

"Today's schools have more in common with an industrial park than a neighborhood-meeting place."

08:37 AM, 17 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Buildings | Permalink | Comments (0)

Getting There No Longer Just About Highways and Cars in Detroit [www.mlui.org]

Regional economic transition invites new reckoning with transit in Oakland County, Michigan.

08:24 AM, 17 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

EPA Announces Winners of 2005 National Smart Growth Awards [www.epa.gov]

EPA today presented its 2005 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement to five communities in California, Florida, Connecticut and Colorado for innovative approaches to development that strengthen community identity and protect the environment.

As communities around the country look for ways to grow that protect and enhance their natural environments and create prosperity, many are turning to smart growth strategies. They are cleaning and reusing previously developed land; providing more housing and transportation choices; preserving critical natural areas; and developing vibrant places to live, work, shop and play. In addition to creating great communities, these smart growth strategies also protect the quality of our air, water and land.

11:19 AM, 16 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Atlantic Yards: Through The Looking Glass [www.gothamgazette.com]

"The planning for Atlantic Yards is all backwards. Normally, government does a plan for the area, then looks at the potential environmental impacts of the plan, decides what to do, and then either does it or puts it out to private developers to bid on. In Atlantic Yards -- and increasingly in other megaprojects throughout the city -- it is just the reverse."

12:34 PM, 15 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Buildings | Permalink | Comments (0)

N.Y.'s Historic Fulton Fish Market Moves [www.washingtonpost.com]

After operating on the waterfront in lower Manhattan for 180 years, the historic Fulton Fish Market has relocated to a new facility in the Bronx.

07:38 AM, 14 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Markets | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a Battle of Street-Food Vendors, the Wurst Wins [www.nytimes.com]

The First Annual Vendy Awards honored New York City's street food vendors, and Rolf Babiel's German sausages took the top prize. The event was a fundraiser for the Street Vendor Project, an advocacy group that operates under the Urban Justice Center and supports the City's street vendors with legal aid.

07:15 AM, 11 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Markets | Permalink | Comments (1)

Car Trouble? [www.pps.org]

By Jay Walljasper


"As millions of Asians jubilantly embrace driving, some experts are predicting an environmental nightmare. But a pack of practical visionaries across the globe says it doesn't have to turn out that way. They are working toward a world with fewer cars and more comforts."

Reprinted with permission from Ode Magazine.

09:46 AM, 10 Nov 2005 by Ben Fried
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

First Dedicated Busway in the U.S. Opens in Los Angeles [www.metroinvestmentreport.com]

"The Metro Orange Line, running the width of the Valley and scheduled to open October 29, represents a true innovation in American transit. It is the first dedicated busway in the United States, and L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky says that a dedicated busway - featuring articulated buses and rail-style stations - might, becuase of lower cost and greater flexibility, be superior to rail in some areas."

08:06 AM, 10 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the World's Most Livable Cities Focuses on People, Not Cars [www.commondreams.org]

"The first time I went there, I had never heard of Curitiba. I had no idea that its bus system was the best on Earth or that a municipal shepherd and his flock of 30 sheep trimmed the grass in its vast parks. It was just a midsize Brazilian city where an airline schedule forced me to spend the night midway through a long South American reporting trip."

Bill McKibben discusses how its excellent public transit, and its emphasis on planning for people, not cars, helps make Curitiba, Brazil, one of the world's most livable cities.

07:57 AM, 10 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Fresh Start: New Orleans Market Vendors Relocate to Gretna, LA [www.nola.com]

Some vendors from the Crescent City Farmers Market in New Orleans found an outlet for their goods at the new farmers' market in Gretna, LA. The Gretna Farmers Market was not set to open until March of 2006, but has opened early to provide a venue for vendors from the New Orleans market, which has not reopened since Hurricane Katrina hit in August.

07:36 AM, 10 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Markets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Denver Community Proves There's Life After a Base Closes [www.csmonitor.com]

"When the long and winding path of the Pentagon's base-closure process comes to an end Tuesday, as the list of bases to shutter becomes law, scores of towns across the country will take their first steps toward an uncertain future - shorn of the military jobs and identity that defined them for generations.

Yet here, not far from what was once Lowry Air Force Base's Runway 4, Amy Ford pushes her daughter on a park swing, surrounded by new homes and fresh-cut lawns. Now, 11 years after the base closed, Lowry is one of Denver's trendiest neighborhoods - and living proof that there is life after Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)."

10:39 AM, 09 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Buildings , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Montgomery, AL, Could See More Mixed-Use, Pedestrian-Friendly Neighborhoods [www.montgomeryadvertiser.com]

In a move to spur construction of mixed-use, well-designed and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods -- such as some of the city's oldest and best-liked ones, disallowed under its 1960s-era zoning -- the Montgomery Planning Commission unanimously asked the City Council to adopt a smart code, possibly next month, with Faulkner University's Jones School of Law Professor Chad Emerson, who helped draft the code and believes Montgomery County will become the first nationwide to have its all municipalities follow suit, stressing, "This is a great example of the increasingly smart growth approach that Montgomery as a whole is taking toward future development."

07:28 AM, 08 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Irvine's Great Park Board to Visit Parks on PPS's "Hall of Shame" [www.ocregister.com]

To get a better sense of their work, the Great Park Board will be visiting several parks designed by the finalists who are competing to design a new park in Irvine, CA. Several of the parks designed by the finalists are featured on PPS's Hall of Shame, including Parc de la Villette, Parc Andre Citroen (both in Paris), and Parc Diagonal del Mar in Barcelona, which is #1 on PPS's list of the world's worst parks.

(Note: e-mail registration is required to read the full text of this article.)

09:31 AM, 03 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Parks , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grand Gesture, Short Sighted? [www.theslatinreport.com]

Frank Gehry is designing a skyscraper for Related's Grand Avenue project in downtown Los Angeles. Critics are concerned his work will be a modernist monstrosity in the middle of a walkable downtown.
Will Gehry's architecture overshadow L.A.'s premier commercial project?

07:13 AM, 03 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Buildings | Permalink | Comments (0)

In New Orleans' Mud, A Ward Determined Not To Slip Away [www.mlui.org]

Featured Placemaker Roberta Brandes Gratz describes how residents of New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward are fighting to save their neighborhood from bulldozing in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita.

09:46 AM, 02 Nov 2005 by Nick Grossman
in Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wal-mart: The High Cost of Low Price [www.walmartmovie.com]

This documentary on Wal-mart takes a look at the devastating effects that superstores have on small family-owned businesses, communities, and entire downtowns, and the true costs behind the low prices.

In one scene, a former employee describes how they would drive through a town where a new Wal-mart was opening, and would point out each small business and store and guess how many months it would take to drive each one out of business. In another scene, a woman from a small town in Texas was reminiscing about how busy and lively the downtown area used to be, and now, after a Wal-mart had opened, it was a virtual ghost town. And still so many cities and towns offer Wal-mart endless incentives and subsidies to set up shop.

The movie is not being released very widely yet, but it is available through this website:www.walmartmovie.com

09:09 AM, 02 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Buildings , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (1)

Trading the Car for the Train [www.nytimes.com]

"Los Angeles may be the car capital of America, but a few Angelenos, it seems, are beginning to consider leaving their cars at home.

Frustration with ever worsening traffic is stimulating new interest in denser, more urban patterns of development, a trend reflected by new mixed-use complexes near - or right on top of - transit stations."

09:01 AM, 02 Nov 2005 by Katie Salay
in Buildings , Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

People Make Places: Growing the Public Life of Cities [www.divamedia.co.uk]

Demos is a public policy and advocacy think-tank based in Britain that is well-regarded for its diverse studies on such timely issues as urban governance, the public and the media, and a number of other topics. This latest report from co-authors Melissa Mean and Charlie Tims takes on the always-tmely theme of how cities might create more effective public spaces in cities that will work well for a wide host of constituencies. The 41-page report is based on intensive qualitative research done in the British towns of Cardiff, Preston, and Swindon. The report has a broad agenda, as it offers a number of suggestions and policy initiatives for how effective public spaces might boost people's participation in public space and "the wider public life of their town or city".

03:03 PM, 31 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

'Pocket parks' Offer Urban Refuge [www.honoluluadvertiser.com]

The city of Honolulu is adding three new "pocket parks," tiny public playgrounds squeezed into vacant lots in crowded urban areas to give residents a place to escape their apartment buildings and sit outside in the open air.

08:23 AM, 24 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Parks | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dog Owners Tout the Benefits of Making Parks Canine-friendly [www.projo.com]

The deputy parks superintendent in Providence, RI, says the city is looking into creating several enclosed dog runs. The dog owners argue that dog parks reduce crime, cultivate happy and healthy dogs, and foster a social network of dog owners.

08:21 AM, 24 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Parks | Permalink | Comments (0)

Growing Demand: Farmers Markets Catering More To Low-income Communities [www.mercurynews.com]

Farmers markets are increasingly opening in low income communities where residents need to buy produce as cheaply as possible. In some cases, they're even accepting food stamps.

07:32 AM, 24 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Markets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

When Modernism Goes Bad - The Milwaukee Amtrak Station [lynnbecker.com]

Milwaukee's 1965 Amtrak Station is a shrine to bad design, but it still has its charms, which could be wiped out by the plan to fix it.

12:03 PM, 21 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Buildings | Permalink | Comments (0)

Landmark New Orleans Cafe Reopens in French Market [www.chron.com]

"The Beignets Are Back!" Cafe Du Monde, a landmark cafe in the French Market, has reopened after six weeks of repairs - its longest closure since it first opened in 1862.

09:32 AM, 21 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Markets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rethinking the Urban Speedway [www.governing.com]

"For decades, highway engineers focused on designing wider, straighter, faster roads. Now, moving traffic quickly is no longer the sole goal."

01:51 PM, 20 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (1)

Silver Spring's Synthetic Lawn Is a Sweet Success [www.washingtonpost.com]

The site of a recently demolished parking garage has been transformed into a temporary oasis in Downtown Silver Spring, MD. A usable surface was needed in a short time frame, so a synthetic turf was installed, and has quickly been embraced by the community.

10:19 AM, 14 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Parks | Permalink | Comments (0)

Portland, OR Poised to Uproot Market [www.oregonlive.com]

"Many Oregonians can do the whirlwind weekend tour for visitors on autopilot: Mount Hood, Tillamook Cheese Factory, Multnomah Falls, Portland Saturday Market.

But soon, locals are likely to have trouble finding the open-air market that sprawls under the Burnside Bridge, peddling bent-spoon art and myrtlewood jewelry boxes to browsers sampling shish kebabs and elephant ears.

City planners envision condominiums, fresh produce stands, foodie shops and perhaps a winery -- Portland's version of Seattle's Pike Place Market -- forcing out the weekends-only market spawned as a hippie artist collective in an Old Town parking lot."

01:21 PM, 13 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Markets | Permalink | Comments (0)

New Orleans City Park Needs Your Help! [www.seattle.gov]

"Can you imagine New York City without Central Park? Neither can we nor can the residents of Greater New Orleans envision a rebuilt city without part of its soul, City Park, playing a central role."

This message from John Hopper, Director of Development for New Orleans City Park, is posted on the Seattle Parks and Recreation website.

02:46 PM, 12 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Parks , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Las Cruces, NM, Wants Its Main Street Back [www.nytimes.com]

"In the 1970's, Main Street in Las Cruces was replaced by a pedestrian mall, an urban planning idea popular at the time as a way to shore up downtown districts that were losing business to indoor malls. More than a hundred downtowns across the country closed streets to traffic and installed big planters and sidewalk furniture. The intent was to make downtowns more like suburban shopping districts.

...More than 200 buildings were leveled (leaving fewer than 70 historic structures) and were replaced by cheap construction with no respect for Southwestern architecture, or their sites became parking lots. Six blocks of Main Street were closed to traffic, as well as the cross streets, cutting off two historic residential neighborhoods from downtown and each other."

02:38 PM, 12 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets | Permalink | Comments (0)

Context Sensitive Solutions in Muncie? [www.thestarpress.com]

"A long-range transportation plan presented earlier this year by the city-county planning commission called for the widening of routes including Wheeling, the extension of other streets, several new roads, new overpasses on the Muncie Bypass and other improvements..." but several planners and city officials are advocating for a CSS approach instead.

02:05 PM, 11 Oct 2005 by Nick Grossman
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ground Zero Should Celebrate Life, Not Memorialize Fear [mlui.org]

PPS Board Member (and featured Placemaker) Roberta Brandes Gratz offers her take on what's needed for an inspirational Ground Zero plan.

02:38 PM, 06 Oct 2005 by Nick Grossman
in Buildings , Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bryant Park Forecast: Ice in October [www.nytimes.com]

"The Bryant Park lawn, well known for its pristine grass and the near-perfect bodies that lounge upon it in summer, will soon also be known for the blades gliding across it in winter.

The Pond at Bryant Park, scheduled to open on Oct. 28, will be a portable, Olympic-size rink large enough for 500 skaters to pirouette upon (or slip and fall) among the high-rises of Midtown Manhattan."

07:51 AM, 06 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Parks | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fulton Fish Market Move on Ice [www.nynewsday.com]

"The planned move of the Fulton Fish Market to the Bronx was dealt another setback Wednesday when a judge ruled that the city had acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" in granting an unloading license to fish mongers at the new facility.

"The possibility of collusion among market members to raise prices and restrict the market in the same way as a monopoloy or a 'cartel' was created" by the issuance of an unloading license to the market's cooperative, ruled State Supreme Court Justice Carol Edmead of Manhattan."

07:46 AM, 06 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Markets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

CT Cities Urged to Link Transit and Development [www.stamfordadvocate.com]

Despite having about 45 railroad stations and scores of bus routes, Connecticut has no statewide initiative to encourage transit-oriented developments, also known as TODs.

08:02 AM, 04 Oct 2005 by Katie Salay
in Transportation & Streets , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gehry Should Scale Down Towers in Hove, UK [www.guardian.co.uk]

"Frank Gehry should be told to scale down his two 'Prescott' towers, or Hove will suffer the fate facing London's skyline," according to a writer for the Guardian. The same writer loves Gehry's work in other cities - just not in his own backyard.

10:24 AM, 28 Sep 2005 by Katie Salay
in Buildings , Public Spaces | Permalink | Comments (0)

Freeway Transforms into People-Friendly Boulevard [www.sfgate.com]

An old highway is torn down, traffic "disappears," and the city of San Francisco builds a great public space.

03:04 PM, 23 Sep 2005 by Juliette Michaelson
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Deal Is Reached to Put Toilets on New York City Streets [www.nytimes.com]

"After more than a decade of false starts, New York City officials announced yesterday that they had selected a company to remake the city's jumbled streetscape by providing aesthetic order to its thousands of bus shelters and newsstands and, perhaps most intriguing, installing 20 freestanding public toilets on city streets."

08:33 AM, 23 Sep 2005 by Katie Salay
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