Every week, we bring you the latest news in placemaking, landscape architecture and urban planning, the nature-mental health link, and much more. Check back each week for new roundups and items.
“You don’t have to look very far these days to see that we are in the midst of an urban park renaissance. Examples from all over the country are proving that parks can raise city profiles, stimulate development, increase property values, attract tourists and, most importantly, improve the quality of life for urban dwellers. Because of this, well-designed open space has become a must-have for cities striving to be considered world class. Big cities attract most of the attention for this, but medium-sized ones such as Birmingham, Santa Fe, and Tulsa are making statements with new parks, as well. Now, thanks to a pending $52 million land deal, Raleigh, North Carolina may soon be added to this list. For it to succeed, however, the city needs to prove it has grown up and is ready to be more urban. It certainly has the potential to be a shining example of how to build a 21st century urban park, but it could just as easily become a cautionary tale.”
“Humans’ most common pastime–forsaken for decades as too slow and too much effort– is now recognized as a health breakthrough, an economic catalyst, and a route to happiness. Real Simple magazine (circulation: 2 million) declared “walking, America’s untrendiest trend” in its February 2014 cover story. A month later Builder magazine (a construction trade journal) announced on its cover, “Walkability. Why we care…and why you should too.” The reason? Simple: “Increasingly, the market is demanding places where homeowners can hoof it.”
Making the Measure: A Toolkit for Tracking the Outcomes of Community Gardens and Urban Farms
“Community gardeners and urban farmers across North America are using an innovative research toolkit developed in New York City to measure and track the impacts of their work. A small group of dedicated gardeners created the toolkit in mid-2013 as part of the Five Borough Farm initiative of the Design Trust for Public Space, a local non-profit incubator for groundbreaking urban planning and design projects. The toolkit is made up of sixteen different methods for collecting data about things like the number of pounds of food harvested in a community garden or the number of children who develop a taste for fresh vegetables after hanging out at a neighborhood farm.”
Strategic Plan for Philadelphia Land Bank Gains Approval
“By all accounts, the Philadelphia Land Bank has completed a high quality strategic plan to guide its actions over the coming years. “The City Planning Commission added its approval to the first strategic plan for the Philadelphia Land Bank on Tuesday,” reports Jared Brey.” Interface Studio completed the Land Bank plan. “It includes a number of priority areas for the redevelopment of the city’s thousands of vacant buildings and lots. In creating the plan, Interface Studio used a load of data supplied by the Planning Commission from its own district plans.” City officials also informed the Planning Commission that the strategic plan fits well with the goals of the Philadelphia2035 comprehensive planning process.”
