The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Isn’t a Park Project, It’s a Highway Expansion

NYCDOT is dangling the prospect of "park-like opportunities" in order to advance its latest highway expansion project, but New Yorkers aren't buying it.

Lessons From the Forest

Change requires believing in our own ability to adapt.

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedMarch 21, 2023Sense-of-place, design, urban design, Parks, parks

Pocket Parks: A Small Bet That Makes a Big Difference

This nonprofit is transforming pockets of St. Louis, MO, into delightful and welcoming parks—and at a low cost!

Are National Parks for Commuting? DC Decision a Big Win for Human Power

During the pandemic, streets across the U.S. were reclaimed for human activity—but now, many cities are undoing those changes. Not so in DC's Rock Creek Park, where road closures have been made permanent.

Sketches of Shenandoah

A drive through Shenandoah National Park, and a look back at its 1930s creation, offers a glimpse into the early era of American car culture, when motoring was a recreational activity with a lighter imprint on the landscape.

Edward Erfurt, Environment, Top StoryEdward ErfurtJanuary 13, 2023Parks, car culture, history, rural, environment

The Power of Paint in Street Transformation

With some simple, low-tech tools, the street next to a neighborhood park can be transformed in a way that’s friendly to both city budgets and residents wanting to access the park.

The Paris of the Plains Can’t Afford Its Fountains Anymore

Kansas City is known for its beautiful fountains, but Parks and Rec says the city doesn’t have the funds to maintain this source of civic pride.

Modern Urban Planning Is Inside Out

Today, city planning departments obsess over what happens inside buildings but pay scant attention to the quality of the space outside them.

Bad Benches (and Other Park Problems)

Some misguided attempts to enhance the local park in Brainerd, MN, has actually made it a worse place to be.

The Coming Tsunami of Park Infrastructure Needs

Rather than building new parks, it’s time we #DoTheMath on the ones we’ve already got.

Infrastructure That Does More: Investing in Public Spaces for a Resilient America

Parks, libraries, and public spaces aren’t just “nice amenities.” They are vital to our recovery, rebuilding, and longterm prosperity.

Infrastructure, Top StoryBridget MarquisNovember 24, 2020public investment, Parks, Infrastructure

In a Post-Pandemic World, Parklets Should Stay Parked

Towns and cities are converting parking spaces into “parklets” as a temporary social distancing resource. But the benefits of parklets will outlast the pandemic.

Parking, Public Space, Top StoryJohn J. MetroJuly 23, 2020Parks, parklet, public space, coronavirus

Plan for Spontaneity

It’s a paradox, but cities can set the stage for the unscripted. These playful surprises cater both to young and the young-at-heart, and they endear the community to visitors and residents alike.

Horbovetz, Urban DesignArian HorbovetzAugust 20, 2019public space, Parks, Chicago, Tactical Urbanism, children, family

Guerrilla Gardening: How this Strong Towns Group Took an Incremental Approach to Creating a Park

Learn how Stronger Denton—a Denton-based, Strong Towns Local Conversation—took an incremental approach to invest in a park in downtown Denton.

Top Story, Success StoryStronger DentonJune 26, 2019Parks, Parks and Recreation, public space, Tactical Urbanism, gardening

Making Your Neighborhood a Better Place to Play

Morgan Leichter-Saxby—co-founder at Pop-Up Adventure Play—shares how you can create low cost, low risk places to play in your neighborhood, including how to pitch the idea to your neighbors, how to commit to an incremental approach, and how Pop-Up Adventure Play can help throughout the process.

Can Paint Help Prevent Crime in a Troubled Neighborhood Park?

Something as small as public art can help transform the public’s perception of a troubled neighborhood park. It’s a testament to the power of bottom-up, incremental change.