Public Space
Creative Ways to Activate Roofless Buildings and Vacant Lots
Pocket parks aren’t the only way to repurpose underused urban spaces.
How Jersey City Dramatically Improved Its Public Realm
The city’s new Department of Infrastructure consolidates the management of public amenities and has guided the creation of new bike lanes, pedestrian plazas, and parks.
Reports of the Third Place’s Death are Greatly Exaggerated
Starbucks is shifting to more drive-throughs and less comfy armchairs, but that doesn’t mean the demand for common spaces outside of home and work is waning.
Third Spaces and Public Life
Public parks, libraries, and other social infrastructure foster community connections and stave off loneliness. Why are they increasingly deprioritized in civic life?
The Importance of LA's Exposition Park
Centrally located in Los Angeles, Exposition Park is a 160-acre urban park that is home to key recreational, cultural, educational, and athletic institutions and facilities. Learn more about the park from its general manager Andrea Ambriz.
Fighting the ‘Loneliness Epidemic’ in Cities
While urban design alone can’t mend the tears in our social fabric, planning decisions and thoughtful, inclusive design can offer or hinder opportunities for interaction.
In Praise of the Endangered ‘Third Space’
The public spaces where people can spend time among strangers without buying something are crucial to healthy cities—and are quickly disappearing.
Placemaking on the Halifax Waterfront
How small, incremental changes can create vibrant places.
Architecture and the Housing Crisis
A new book brings architects into the housing discussion.
Denver Plans to Make Some Open Streets Permanent
The city is moving to institutionalize segments of streets that were successfully pedestrianized during the pandemic.
Op-Ed: How to Make Over Pennsylvania Avenue
The Washington, D.C. street briefly regained its former vibrancy during the pandemic. A proposed redesign could bring it back once again.
Decatur Approves New Food Cart Program
Mobile food vendors can now apply for permits to operate in several of the city’s public spaces.
NYC Announces $30M for Open Streets Projects
The funding is designed to support open streets and public space projects in underresourced neighborhoods.
Reshaping Cities for Present-Day Populations
The demographic changes of the last few years give city planners and urban designers an opportunity to reimagine how public spaces can most effectively promote public health, wellbeing, and equity.
New York Hires ‘Public Space Czar’
The public space officer will be in charge of making the city’s sidewalks more pedestrian-friendly while keeping streets clean and accessible.
Where Open Streets Are Succeeding
The cities that are making their pandemic-era car-free experiments permanent.
Predictions for San Francisco’s Public Spaces
In 2023, will the city’s public spaces be reclaimed by cars, or will pandemic-era interventions lead to permanent change?
Where Have All the Third Spaces Gone?
As businesses shortened their hours during the pandemic, Philadelphia residents found themselves with fewer options for places to spend their evenings.
Austin’s Texas Mall Opens to the Public
The new plaza, part of the Capitol Complex Project, offers a glimpse of the potential of pedestrianized space in the Texas capital.
New York Announces New Bike Lanes and Public Space Improvements
As part of its commitment to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, the city identified several major projects for 2023 that include protected bike lanes and public plazas.
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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
