The creation of a park in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, is credited with helping the city lure new development and stay economically healthy during the recession.
"The city has a beautiful, natural waterfall smack in the middle of its downtown that was hidden for decades by a concrete overpass, warehouses and boarded-up buildings. White took some political heat, but convinced the city to fund a 20-acre public garden around the waterfall and a suspension foot bridge above.
'The park cost $13 million,' White says. 'Within two years, over $100 million in private investment was created around the park - hotels, restaurants, condominiums, apartments. The entire, what we call the West End of our downtown, just blossomed.'"
The city has also focused on luring development by providing green space and parking for new projects.
FULL STORY: How A Park Helped One Town Weather The Recession
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Expanding Green Spaces in Greater LA: Challenges and Solutions
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Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
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Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
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San Francisco’s Muni Ridership Grew in 2024
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Colorado Lawmakers Move to Protect BRT Funding
In the face of potential federal funding cuts, CDOT leaders reasserted their commitment to planned bus rapid transit projects.
Safe Streets Funding in Jeopardy
The Trump administration is specifically targeting bike infrastructure and other road safety projects in its funding cuts.
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.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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