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Cynthia Nikitin will speak at the 2010 International Symposium on Making Creative Parks and Gardens in Seoul, Korea

By Project for Public Spaces on Feb 16, 2010 | Add Comment
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GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: The Forks (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)

By Tom Peyton on Sep 16, 2009 | 1 Comment

What: A former industrial area that has been redeveloped to promote outdoor activity in both summer and winter – important in a northern city like Winnipeg.

Why it Works: This community place is used year round for gathering and recreation. In the summer there are concerts and markets and lots of greenspace. In [...]

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GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Esplanade Park (Helsinki, Finland)

By Tom Peyton on Sep 2, 2009 | Add Comment

What: A boulevard-like park in the city centre.

Why it Works: Esplanade Park in the centre of Helsinki consists of two active streets – Northern and Southern Esplanade – and a longitudinal, boulevard-like park between them. The park is built on east-west direction, so the sun shines nicely on the park throughout the [...]

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GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Mission Dolores Park (San Francisco, CA)

By Tom Peyton on Aug 5, 2009 | 2 Comments

What: A public park known for its views.

Why it Works: Mission Dolores Park is a beautiful eight-square block park nestled on a hillside with broad sweeping views of downtown San Francisco and the Bay Area skyline to the northeast. Located directly in between famous Castro Street in The Castro, and Valencia Street [...]

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Engaging with Public Space, via your iPhone

By klevy on Jul 28, 2009 | 4 Comments
The explosion of apps for the iPhone (and iPod Touch) includes plenty of tools to help you navigate city streets, engage with your community, and enjoy public spaces as never before.  Below, a roundup of some of the best Placemaking-friendly apps:

* Markets and eating local. Locavore ($3.99) uses the iPhone’s GPS capability [...]

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L.A. Combats Gang Violence with Positive Uses

By klevy on Jul 23, 2009 | 5 Comments

The city of Los Angeles has long been plagued by gang violence.  California has the largest gang presence of any state, and L.A. is at the top of the state’s list for gang-related violent crime.  Parks in poor neighborhoods are a frequent site of gang clashes, turning ostensibly public spaces into foreboding “territory” into which [...]

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GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Canatara Park (Sarnia, Canada)

By Tom Peyton on Jul 15, 2009 | 1 Comment

What: Over 200 acres of community park, with a shoreline along Lake Huron.

Why it Works: Canatara Park spans almost 85 acres, and sits on the edge of Lake Huron. The people in this area have always loved this park. The land was bought in the 1930′s with money from both the citizens [...]

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GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Plaza Mayor (Merida, Mexico)

By Tom Peyton on Jul 8, 2009 | Add Comment

What: A public square in the heart of Merida.

Why it Works: The Plaza Mayor is a major focal point of Merida taking up the size of one full city block and enclosed on four sides by two lane roads. The landscaping is a simple path system through various types of trees and [...]

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GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Pegram Park (Pegram, TN)

By Tom Peyton on Jun 24, 2009 | Add Comment

What: A revitalized park at the heart of a small Tennessee town.

Why it Works: Although Pegram Park is small in size it serves as the center of the community for the town and the surrounding county. It hosts numerous events throughout the year, including 4th of July parades, Christmas in the park, [...]

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A new vision for Savannah’s streets and squares

By Craig Raphael on Apr 2, 2009 | 2 Comments

Savannah is known for the beauty of its tree-canopied streets, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. Clearly, its citizens agree. A recent survey that invited people to name the city’s best and worst streets drew four times as many responses for “worst” as for “best.”

The survey was conducted on [...]

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Private Gardens vs. Public Parks

By Craig Raphael on Jan 29, 2009 | 4 Comments

According to an American landscape architect, public green spaces in England are suffering neglect due to the British passion for maintaining private gardens. Gardening is a storied tradition in the country but it most often takes place in the privacy of one’s home.  As a result, according to Harvard Professor Martha Schwartz (as reported in [...]

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More Positive Parks

By Robin Lester on Jan 7, 2009 | Add Comment

Gil Penalosa, PPS Senior Associate and Executive Director of  Walk & Bike for Life, recently contributed an enlightening Letter to the Editor in the Toronto Star focusing on signage in Toronto’s parks.  Penalosa suggests that signage in parks should make park users feel appreciated, and help make their experience there positive.

[...]
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