The park is part of a global movement to build public spaces that connect neighbors and work with local elements to serve as key parts of a city’s green infrastructure.

A new park in Montreal sits atop a disused railway track and features ‘mini-forests’ planted to encourage the quick growth of native plants, reports Kelsey Rolfe in The Globe and Mail.
“The park’s design hearkens back to its previous life: after the tracks were abandoned in the 1990s, trees and vegetation grew wild on the site. It became an unofficial but beloved local park and community space for the part-industrial neighbourhood until a developer cut down the trees without permission in 2013.” Now, thanks to a decade of community advocacy, the city spent $10 million to acquire and redevelop the site.
Gorilla Park, as it’s known, hosts over 1,500 trees and shrubs and seeks to mimic the spontaneous forest that grew on the site previously. According to Rolfe, “It’s just one example of the transformation under way across Canada to make public spaces more sustainable and community focused.” In Toronto, a 1.75-kilometer linear park dubbed The Bentway nestled under the Gardiner Expressway doubles as a recreational space and stormwater infrastructure. “ It now draws hundreds of thousands of Torontonians every year for skating in the winter, free public events and art installations in the other seasons and cycling and walking on its trail network year-round.”
FULL STORY: Turning railway lands into parkland: How cities are reinventing public space

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Research Shows More Roads = More Driving
A national study shows, once again, that increasing road supply induces additional vehicle travel, particularly over the long run.

EV Chargers Now Outnumber Gas Pumps by Nearly 50% in California
Fast chargers still lag behind amidst rapid growth.

Affordable Housing Renovations Halt Mid-Air Amidst DOGE Clawbacks
HUD may rescind over a billion dollars earmarked for green building upgrades.

Has Anyone at USDOT Read Donald Shoup?
USDOT employees, who are required to go back to the office, will receive free parking at the agency’s D.C. offices — flying in the face of a growing research body that calls for pricing parking at its real value.
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