The example of Holladay Park in Portland is examined for lessons in improving public spaces through the help of private sector consultants.
Casey Parks offers insights from Dan Biederman, hired to transform the Holladay Park just outside the Lloyd Center in Portland. (Biederman is perhaps most famous as the consultant behind the Bryant Park remodel in New York City.)
One nugget offered by Biederman, as paraphrased by Parks in the article: "Revitalizing small urban parks often requires an easy solution: More female visitors. They'll come if you offer events and activities, Biederman says. But all-day programming requires more money than most local governments can spare."
The article goes into greater detail about the potential of public-private partnerships to improve parks, especially through programming, as well as more details about the city's success at Holladay Park.
FULL STORY: How do you fix an urban park? Bring in more women, planner says
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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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.
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