On the Road

Editor's Notes & Interviews

What Really Counts in a Community

PlannersWeb Editor Wayne Senville, reporting from Bath, Maine

We all know that the bottom line in what really counts in building strong communities is … the people. Committed citizens can pull together and make just about any place better. That’s just what I saw on a windy Saturday in the small city of Bath, Maine.

Editor's Notes & Interviews

Taking a Hit … and Bouncing Back

PlannersWeb Editor Wayne Senville, reporting from Brunswick, Maine (Oct. 4, 2012)

In 2005, the Brunswick (Maine) Naval Air Station was designated for closure — one of more than 350 military installations ordered closed between 1989 and 2005. A look at progress on redevelopment plans for this sprawling, 3300 acre facility.

Editor's Notes & Interviews

Building a New Downtown – Part II

In part II of this posting, we take a closer look at how the Town of Mansfield, Connecticut worked with UConn and and a private developer to move forward on its new downtown, Storrs Center. Including some tips from some of the project participants.

Editor's Notes & Interviews

Building a New Downtown – Part I

As someone who lives in a university town, I can tell you it’s not every day that the university’s and town’s perspectives on a key issue are closely aligned. But that’s the case in Storrs, Connecticut, where the University of Connecticut (UConn) and the Town of Mansfield both agree that what they really want an need is a new downtown center. A look at the development of Storrs Center.

Editor's Notes & Interviews

We Don’t Let Planning Get in the Way: Pt. II

How did Blue Back Square get developed? West Hartford Community Services Director Rob Rowlson takes us on a tour of the development, and explains why the Town’s developer-friendly approach led to positive results.

Editor's Notes & Interviews

We Don’t Let Planning Get in the Way: Pt. I

Rob Rowlson, the Town of West Hartford’s Director of Community Services, makes no bones about it: too often planning can be an obstacle to private investment and development. In Part I of this post, Rowlson talks about efforts to strengthen the core of the town’s downtown: West Hartford Center.

Editor's Notes & Interviews

Anchoring a Neighborhood

Close to Hartford’s “seats of power” — state government; insurance companies; and Trinity College; you’ll find Frog Hollow, a predominantly Latino neighborhood. It has a mix of walk-up apartments, neighborhood restaurants, stores, churches, and social clubs. But anchoring it is an innovative mixed-use development called Billings Forge.

Editor's Notes & Interviews

There’s a Good Story Here!

What would Horace Greeley, America’s most famous newspaper publisher and editor, think about the changes to the Manhattan square bearing his name — looking down from his bronze chair? Probably, “there’s a good story here!”

Editor's Notes & Interviews

Give My Regards to Broadway

One of the most remarkable sights in New York City these days is the transformation of Broadway in the Times Square district from a traffic-jammed artery to a car-free zone, where pedestrians reign. What’s behind this change?

Editor's Notes & Interviews

Please Be Seated!

We do it dozens of times a day. During nice weather, we often do it in the park. And we’re careful where we do it, often scouting out a location that seems just right for us to …. sit. But how much do planners and urban designers know about our backsides?

Editor's Notes & Interviews

Circling a Square

At the Project for Public Spaces our first assignment: spend an hour carefully observing activities in Petrosino Square and noting what we saw.

Editor's Notes & Interviews

Can a Street Be a Place?

This post’s title is the question that was at the heart of a fascinating two-day workshop organized by the Project for Public Spaces.