New outdoor, publicly accessible ping pong tables are taking hold in New York City, adding an extra element of health and activity to some of the city's public parks.
Concrete ping pong tables, designed by a U.S. based company called Henge, have been installed in three parks in New York.
"Basically, it looks cool and minimal, you can knock a ball around on it, and one has recently made its debut in Tompkins Square Park. That table, a gift from Henge, followed the appearance last year of a similar model in Gulick Park on the Lower East Side.
Meanwhile up in Bryant Park, two other Ping-Pong tables occupy a proud spot just off West 42nd Street.
According to Adrian Benepe, the Commissioner of the Parks and Recreation Department, which oversees 54 tables in recreation centers across the boroughs, these three parks represent something new for the city: an experiment in open-air Ping-Pongery."
FULL STORY: The Joys of Ping-Pong in the Open
Survey: US Public Spaces Not Meeting Community Needs
A lack of funding prevents many U.S. parks and public spaces from playing a more significant role in helping residents meet daily needs.
North Texas Town Launches Downtown Revitalization Plan
The Design Downtown Denton plan takes aim at improving walkability and highlighting the city’s historic assets.
Reimagining the Social Value of Public Spaces
While they're often treated as mere assets to be maintained or abandoned for other uses, public spaces can be an active part of cities' plans for equitable revitalization.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service