Open Space

Gateway Arch Rendering 2

Renovated Park Space Open to the Public Beneath the St. Louis Gateway Arch

Little by little, the grounds, facilities, and amenities of the St. Louis Gateway Arch are reopening to the public. Expect work on this $380 million project to conclude later this year.

April 14, 2017 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Los Angeles City Hall

Sent A Strong Message, Los Angeles Leaders Respond With Planning Reforms

In the aftermath of the Measure S vote, members of the Los Angeles City Council have responded by pushing for expediting community plan updates and finding a sustainable source of funding for updating the region's plans.

April 4, 2017 - The Planning Report

Los Angeles River Kayak

Los Angeles Takes On Equity and Resilience With New Parks Funding

City and county leaders shared their plans for millions in new annual revenue at the 2017 VerdeXchange Conference.

March 4, 2017 - The Planning Report

irishtown bend

Coming Soon: A Transformative Idea for Cleveland's Irishtown Bend

A new design process will take an initial step toward unleashing the unrealized potential of Irishtown Bend—located along the Cuyahoga River in the heart of Cleveland.

February 13, 2017 - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Arch Rock Beach

Oregon Residents Could Soon Pay a Fee to Hit the Water

The state of Oregon will consider legislation that would raise $2.17 million a year by implementing a fee on non-motorized users of public waterways.

January 29, 2017 - Mail Tribune

Trinity River Dallas Floodplain

The Country's Largest Urban Park—Coming Soon to Dallas

A Dallas News op-ed argues for a repackaging of the Dallas' ongoing open space and park investments to properly acknowledge the scale of the city's accomplishments.

December 9, 2016 - Dallas News

The $40 Million, Voter-Approved Park Bond That Never Happened

Voters in Cobb County, Georgia, overwhelmingly prioritized parks and green space back in 2008. Cobb County commissioners', however, are still acting to quell those intentions.

November 11, 2016 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Chicago

A Plan to Bike the Length of the Chicago River by 2030

The Chicago River is attracting some of the city's most creative visions for the future. The second plan in recent months proves the potential of the river as an open space asset.

October 25, 2016 - Chicago Tribune

Chattahoochee River

'Vision 53' Plan Would Connect Atlanta to the Chattahoochee River

A river flows through Atlanta, but few of the city's residents have any access to it. A new vision plan produced by the advocacy group Chattahoochee Now aims to change that.

October 12, 2016 - WABE

Google Maps Erases Publically Owned Open Spaces

Where's the green?

September 23, 2016 - NPR

Venice Beach

Los Angeles Adds New Developer Fee to Pay for Parks

The city of Los Angeles has been improving its parks resources for several years, and a new funding mechanism should help continue that trend.

September 11, 2016 - KPCC

Ventura County

Urban Growth Boundaries Gone Awry: Protection Without Infill

Joe Mathews of Zócalo Public Square views with a great deal of skepticism the urban growth boundaries the voters of Ventura County adjacent to Los Angeles County have enacted since 1995 due to the lack of infill. Another measure is on the ballot.

September 7, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Raleigh Park

The Connection Between Green Space and Better Behaved Kids

Researchers have made a positive link between increased greenery in a child's neighborhoods and a reduction in aggressive behavior.

July 5, 2016 - Pacific Standard

urban park

Is New York Distributing Its Public Plazas Equally?

An analysis of the geographic distribution of New York's new public plazas sought to determine if the program was meeting one of its stated goals: providing access to public plazas for low- and moderate-income households.

July 5, 2016 - Placemeter

Al-Azhar Park, Cairo, Egypt

Open Spaces Are Contested Spaces in the Middle East

Parks and other public open spaces continue to be squeezed out by private development and attempts to limit political dissent throughout cities in Arab countries.

July 1, 2016 - The Economist

Hays Woods

660 Acres Donated to Pittsburgh to Become City's Largest Park

The city of Pittsburgh is celebrating the conveyance of 660 acres of property known as Hays Woods. The property will one day become the largest park in the city.

June 15, 2016 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Why Chicago Park Advocates Want to Preserve a Parking Lot

A Chicago nonprofit drew criticism for opposing the planned Lucas Museum in favor of a large parking lot. But the organization says it fits into their mission of promoting open space.

May 23, 2016 - Chi.Streetsblog

Empty Park

'First National Study of Neighborhood Parks' Finds Few Taking Advantage

Most neighborhood parks go relatively unused by adult populations and women, giving young children, mostly boys, the run of the place.

May 20, 2016 - Pacific Standard

Governors Island

The Leadership Behind the Rebirth of Governors Island in New York

Leslie Koch, the president and chief executive of the Trust for Governors Island, in the Hills on Thursday. After leading the trust for a decade, she is announcing her retirement.

May 12, 2016 - The New York Times

Dog Park

Report: Dog Parks 'Lead the Pack' in New Urban Parks

The Trust for Public Land's annual City Parks Facts report finds cities around the country are adding dog parks with the enthusiasm of a pack puppies.

April 26, 2016 - PR Newswire

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.