Public Space
Denver City Summit 2016: Place, Culture, Meaning
Keynote speeches and break-out sessions at this year's Rocky Mountain City Summit implicated the importance of cultural knowledge for planning inclusive and equitable cities.
How Good Planning Remade the Santa Fe Railyard
A planner reflects on one of New Mexico's great planning successes, the Santa Fe Railyard.
Op-Ed: Programming the First Priority for Keeping Public Spaces Safe
Providence, Rhode Island is looking ways to make Kennedy Plaza, located in the city's downtown, safe for all users. Increased law enforcement in only one way to achieve that goal, according to an op-ed in the Providence Journal.
San Francisco Debates an Anti-Homeless Fence
The deployment of so-called defensive architecture is in the news again. This time the controversy is in the public realm, as San Francisco considers a fence to keep homeless out of McCoppin Hub.
Innovations in Street Furniture Reflect New Approach to Public Space
After a tour of Los Angeles street furniture, Alissa Walker offers her reflections on cities' changing approach to public space.
Are freeway overpasses curtailing public discourse?
Freeway overpasses instead of town squares are now often selected as the preferred public space to promote a non-commercial point of view, but such messaging does little to enhance public discourse, writes planner and urbanist Howard Blackson.
Anchorage to Renovate a Prominent Public Space in the Name of Public Safety
A popular public meeting space in downtown Anchorage faces renovations due to claims of illegal activity. A now defunct water fountain feature has created conditions that some believe are unsafe with a need for more eyes on the street.
Creative Placemaking: Lead, Follow, AND Get Out of the Way
For governments and institutions, creative placemaking means knowing when to let go. Scott Doyon explains.
Myanmar's 20-Lane Road to Nowhere
Constructed at great expense over the past decade, Myanmar's planned capital city of Naypyidaw boasts an empty 20-lane stretch of road. The city's real purpose may be to discourage regime change.
Dallas to Consider Smoking Ban in All City Parks
If the city of Dallas bans smoking its parks, it would catch up on a trail blazed (not blazed, rather) by Houston and Frisco.
Boston City Hall Plaza Overhaul Moves Forward
Boston has a plan to transform City Hall Plaza from a neglected opportunity into a year-round entertainment venue.
New Philadelphia Mayor Pitching $300 Million for Parks and Libraries
Investment in public space is shaping up as a signature initiative for new Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.
Imagining the Future Urban Food Market
Public food markets can be key centers of urban commerce and social life. Late last year, a brainstorming event in London considered how they might evolve to accommodate modern lifestyles and technologies.
Philadelphia Alleys Ranked for Makeover
In advance of what may be a wider program, Philadelphia's alleys have been ranked for their aesthetic quality. Those in the "average" range are most suitable for retrofits.
Op-Ed: Over-Regulation Makes Public Spaces Exclusionary
A pointed editorial decries the over-regulation that has followed the renaissance of public spaces in Los Angeles.
Planning Roundtable: What Makes a Good Urban Park?
Are there too many urban parks and plazas? If not, why do some fail? In this collaborative article, several urban planning gurus from different cities respond to these questions. They provide both shared and unique perspectives.
What Makes a Great Public Space?
The question is often asked and answered by urban planners and placemakers. The perspective offered here boils the essential qualities down to centrality, connectivity, and cachet, with a strong dose of urban "commoning."
The Google Street View Perspective on Public Space Transformations
A recent trend in returning the use of streets and other public space to the use of humans and other modes of transportation other than the car is more striking with some historical perspective.
The Battle for Times Square—Why It Matters, Even Outside New York
The piece begins not in New York but three thousand miles west in Seattle with Janette Sadik-Khan explaining how she triumphed over auto interests by taking back precious road space and returning it to the people in the form of plazas and bike lanes.
How Futuristic Renderings Fail Future Cities
Pushing back on a version of futurism that imagines cities as a collection of iconic structures devoid of people and interactions.
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
