Open Space
San Diego Planners Want to Reform Park Funding System
The San Diego Planning Department wants to change the system that currently funds improvements to public amenities, facing considerations about the implementation and legality of the proposed alternative.
Parks on Wheels to Deliver Recreational Services to Underserved Areas
It has been over 25 years since urban planning professor Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris discussed the idea of "mobile parks" to meet recreational needs. The idea is still relevant today.
2020 ParkScore Ranks Minneapolis at the Top
The need for access to parks and open space has never been as obvious, or as pressing.
Revealed: New Parks Master Plan for San Diego
The second most populous city in California, San Diego, wants to revolutionize its approach to planning parks and open space.
Even Parks Are Going Online During the Pandemic
Parks departments in New York City and Pittsburgh are offering videos and livestreams to cooped-up residents.
Lessons Emerge as Cities Cede Public Space to Contain the Pandemic
One of the dominant themes to emerge from the spread of COVID-19 is the conflict between the need to be in nature for health and well-being while avoiding public space as much as possible to prevent the spread.
In Wyoming, Vast Open Spaces Meet Extreme Gaps Between Rich and Poor
The story of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, illustrates the class tensions that arise when an idealized vision of life close to nature butts up against the realities of wealth, privilege, and social inequality.
Frontlines of the Social Distancing Effort Shifts to Parks and Open Space
Too many people have been seeking normalcy on parks and on trails. This isn’t a normal time.
Lessons in Equitable Urban River Restoration
As more cities "daylight" the rivers and waterways formerly interred underground to culverts and stormdrains, a process for ensuring community leadership and equitable outcomes is also coming to light.
Parks of Inclusion
The people sitting, playing, and enjoying themselves in parks aren't always representative of the population that live in the communities. Here are three examples of parks that succeed at inclusion.
Keeping Colorado Land from Development Could Cost $5 Million
In Golden, Colorado, residents want to keep a parcel of land as open space, but it could come with a hefty price tag.
The Atlanta Beltline—20 Years Later
The scope of the Atlanta Beltline's effect on the city has astounded most observers, including the person who came up with the idea first.
Deal Will Preserve Valuable S.F. Bay Area Open Space
Land in the Coyote Valley in San Jose, California, will be protected in a move that ends over three decades of development battles.
The Gentrification Effect of Urban Parks
New research finds that different types of parks correlate with different gentrification effects, adding to the complexity of urban change.
Ten Years of the High Line—Time to Reflect
As the High Line turns ten, a debate about the costs and benefits of urban revitalization continues.
Improving Beach Access and Environmental Protection in Galveston
The city of Galveston has more to do to live up to its own standards in accessing and protecting the gulf coast.
An Interview With New York Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, FAICP
Mitchell Silver, commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, former planning director of Raleigh, and former president of the APA, discusses the aspirations and realities of a long, successful career in planning.
Playgrounds Could Provide Much-Needed Public Space
In communities lacking green space, public access to upgraded school playgrounds is a win-win solution.
A Comprehensive Plan for Every Neighborhood Park
Minneapolis wants more equity in its parks spending—and new plans are a key step in the process of delivering more equitable results.
Development vs. Open Space at a Denver Golf Course
A developer just bought a Denver-area golf course in the hopes of some day rezoning the site for residential and commercial development. Open space advocates have other ideas, as does the city (for now).
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
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
