Public Spaces
Priority Seating for Chatters
A public art project that appeared in Brisbane, Australia proposes a "priority seating area for people who want conversation" in order to encourage friendly chatter on public buses.
How Yorkville Ended Up With So Much Dead Public Space
Martin Pedersen of Metropolis Magazine explains how a city ordinance termed the 'plaza bonus,' lead to the creation of more than five hundred "privately financed, privately owned, but public spaces."
Taking Another Look At A Public Square
A group of planners and designers recently headed out to audit Petrossian Square in Manhattan, carefully observing how people use the space.
Troubled Times for Philadelphia's Underfunded Parks
With one of Philadelphia's best-supported public parks in danger of losing the private funding that keeps it maintained, Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron looks at the sad state of the city's parks.
Cheers and Jeers for Public Spaces in Chicago
Blair Kamin applauds a new plaza at the Trump International Hotel + Tower, and calls an aging public space nearby 'an eyesore.'
Rose Kennedy Greenway is a "Placeless Desert"
Boston's Rose Kennedy Greenway is an urban park built over the "Big Dig" highway tunnel, and as Robert Campbell of the Boston Globe puts it, "a design disaster."
New York City Takes Over Governor's Island
The City has reached a deal to take over 172-acres of undeveloped land from the State, and redevelopment possibilities are flooding in - public park, high school, commercial buildings, NYU satellite campus, and more.
Designing Happiness into Cities
This piece from Shareable looks at the urban work of Enrique Penalosa and how it emphasizes the importance of happiness in cities.
The New Library, or "Urban Mediaspace"
The public library is being re-imagined as an interactive space with multimedia learning labs, coffee shops and government services.
Breathing Life Back into Seattle's Alleys
The City of Seattle is looking to revive some of its often forgotten and neglected urban spaces: alleys.
Street Food, Now With Table Service
Blogger and landscape architect Lisa Town gathers a few D.I.Y. tables and chairs designed for creating instant public seating space for street food, including a hydrant tabletop.
London For Sale
Britain is becoming increasingly privatized as urban regeneration projects put entire neighborhoods in the hands of developers. One project spans 34 of Liverpool's streets, putting public space in private control.
The High Line of Cleveland?
The designers of New York's popular High Line park have a radical new proposal for Cleveland's Public Square that turns the one square into four new ones.
An American Piazza
Developer Bart Blatstein reimagined an old brewery in the outskirts of Philadelphia into an adapted Italian piazza. Locals worried it would be be too theme park-y, but community leaders are pleased with the results.
Billboards: Problem, or Solution?
In San Francisco, the mid-Market St. area has struggled for decades with blighted conditions. An area property owner thinks that digital billboards could solve the problem, and has put a proposition on the local ballot to get them built.
San Francisco's Fast Park Movement
New parks are popping up with a quickness in San Francisco, where planners have fast-tracked the conversion of street spaces into pedestrian parks.
The Shifting Tide of Public and Private Space
In Malibu, CA, private property extends to the high tide waterline, where public land begins. An unofficial group of "urban rangers" is giving tours and dance performances along that line to explore the absurdity.
Redesigning the Fire Hydrant
The gush of an uncapped fire hydrant in the summer is a welcome relief for urban dwellers, but the water loss is staggering. Landscape architect Adrienne Cortez decided to find a solution to keeping people cool and similarly activating public space.
The Securitization of Public Space
Julia Galef takes a look at Secure Cities, a new website that maps the effect of security measures on public space since 9/11.
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
