Parks/Open Space

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From the development of Central Park in New York City to George Kessler’s pioneering parks plan for Kansas at the end of the 19th century, parks and open space have played an increasingly importance role in planning. These articles deal with topics ranging from greenways to land conservation.

Editor's Notes & Interviews

Swinging through Topsham

PlannersWeb Editor Wayne Senville, reporting from Topsham, Maine (Oct. 5, 2012)

Ten of us piled into a mini-van for a tour of Topsham, Maine (population about 9,100) — Brunswick’s suburb to the north. Stops included the historic Bowdoin Mill; a remarkable active-adult housing development; and the famous John A. Roebling-designed Swinging Bridge across the Androscoggin River.

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

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

Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Take an online wildlife walk through downtown Tucson, Arizona. It’s quite interesting what you can see and learn in the heart of the city. Sometimes we come across a Web site that makes us wonder … why hadn’t someone thought of this before? That’s the case with the delightful Tucson’s Urban Wildlife Walk web site, [...]

Editor's Notes & Interviews

Planning for 46 Miles of Lakeshore

What is most striking along the 46 mile stretch of Indiana bordering Lake Michigan is the intermixing of natural beauty and heavy industry — primarily steel mills, transmission lines, and power plants. I learn about the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission’s plans for the lakeshore.

Editor's Notes & Interviews

Campus Martius Park in Downtown Detroit

Can a privately managed urban park in the center of downtown Detroit help spur the city’s recovery?

PCJ Articles

Getting the Density You Want

by Beth Humstone

Perhaps nothing gets a community more riled up than a discussion of density. How can you plan for the density that works best for your community?

Editor's Notes & Interviews

Audacious … or Realistic?

I met with planners trying to deal with the large amounts of vacant land in Cleveland’s inner-city neighborhoods. Their approach to turn things around: implementing creative, green-oriented strategies.

Editor's Notes & Interviews

Punching Through the Walls

How Luzerne County and the City of Wilkes-Barre are integrating the riverfront with downtown, through the creation of a new riverfront park, with giant flood control portals cutting the embankment.

PCJ Articles

Developing at the Edge

by Tom Daniels

A continuing challenge facing many local planning commissions is how to best plan for new development at the edge of existing settled areas. This can be particularly acute in communities facing growth pressure. A look at some tools and strategies for guiding development at the edge.

PCJ Articles

Happy Trails: Greenways for Everyone

by Hannah Twaddell

Across the country, citizens are increasingly calling for improved and expanded multi-use trails, both for recreational and commuting purposes. Transportation planner Hannah Twaddell outlines a “four-step path” to developing a successful greenway trail.

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