• In the UK, a giant mechanical elephant prepares to thrill the streets of Liverpool [Guardian]
• Bus bans at malls in Illinois are a reminder that true public space is precious and scarce [Illinoize]
• An astro-turf-covered square becomes a busy impromptu park in Maryland, despite a designed park nearby! [The Dirt]
• Don't live near a farmers market?  Start your own! [Tips from the University of Florida, via Ecollo] 
• Cities and towns are turning abandoned big box stores into community centers, charter schools and senior centers [USA Today]
  

• Will NYC's new zoning rules actually increase traffic in NYC? [Gotham Gazette]
• New Hampshire farmers have their best season ever, thanks to interest in farmers markets and eating locally [Fox 44]
  
• In Beijing, sanctioned Olympic "protest parks" sit empty after the Chinese government ignores the 77 protest permit requests filed. Two elderly citizens, filing to protest eminent domain, were arrested and threatened with work camps. [Canada.com]
• Canada's Spacing Toronto magazine announces its "thinkTORONTO" streetscape planning competition for young architects, planners, designers and students [Spacing Toronto]
  
• Food stamp acceptance at farmers markets increases, providing access to fresh, healthy produce [AM NY]
• New public sculpture entices crowds, encouraging interactivity and enhancing public space [NY Times]

(The Bean, Chicago.  Photo by the New York Times.) 

Photo: www.chattanooga-charm.com

Chattanooga, Tennessee has taken a PPS recommendation to heart! Inspired by a speech by PPS Founder and President Fred Kent, the Chattanooga Department of Parks and Recreation announced that it will be installing multicolored steel tables and chairs in several of its waterfront parks. The project is called the Park Animation Project, and it intends to increase social interaction in parks and to create a sense of ownership among park users.

            Initially, the 130 tables and 21 chairs were to be placed on the waterfront in Coolidge Park this month, but the installation has been delayed based on reports that the existing furniture was too unstable for Coolidge Park’s uneven terrain. Picnic tables with umbrellas will still be added to the portion of the waterfront by Ross’s Landing.

            PPS has long been an advocate for free-standing, movable furniture because they help to create “minidestinations” and allow people to customize spaces so they can have a range of different experiences. Coolidge Park is one of the best places to employ this concept as it already contains a notable amenity: according to Fred Kent, the fountain in Coolidge Park is one of the top five in the world.

A recent New York Times article highlighted the resurgence of the street car in cities across America.  While extremely popular at the turn of the last century, many streetcar systems were dismantled in favor of the automobile.  Today, streetcars are being used to revitalize cities and recreate important connections between neighborhoods and services.

In Cincinnati, a new streetcar system will link several of the city's vital destinations: its waterfront, stadiums, residential uptown and business district, including stops for the University of Cincinnati and six hospitals. Based on private and public funding, a street car fare is expected to be extremely reasonable at $1 or less.

The Times article states that more than 40 cities are currently looking into streetcar programs, while a handful of cities are making improvements to existing systems.

As evidenced in San Francisco, streetcar systems can act as a major tourist draw and help in creating sense of place in a city. Locals, visitors, young and old all flock to the city's wonderfully preserved historic public transportation, making the streetcar an iconic symbol of the city. 

New public transportation also encourages economic growth. After implementing a brand-new streetcar system, Portland, OR, has seen more than $3 billion invested in land within two blocks from the new lines.

(photo by the New York Times)

Streetcars are also useful in reconnecting parts of a city that have been physically separated by highways.  In the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, cut off from the rest of the borough by the Brooklyn-Queens expressway, neighborhood activists have been working for years toward rehabbing and reopening the local trolley service that served the waterfront until the 1950s. Forgotten New York has some wonderful information on the trolley line's history and project's current state.

Public transportation that links vital destinations in cities and reduces reliance on the automobile builds stronger, more vibrant communities!  Streetcars, which offer local character and affordable fares, are becoming a wonderful solution to traffic congestion and rising gas prices.

• For the first time in more than 100 years, a market reopens on the location of Australia's first public market [Parrametta Sun]
• Connecticut yearns for car-free streets and neighbor interaction in public spaces [The Herald]
• In London, Ontario, Nestle Water is protesting a ban on the sale of bottled water in government buildings, and promoting recycling education in public spaces [CNW Group]
• Los Angeles must reopen its alleyways for public use [blogdowntown]
  
• London's 100 Public Spaces Project, aiming at creating and improving 100 public spaces in the city, will be completed for the 2012 Olympic Games.  The program hopes to highlight the benefits of great public spaces, and illustrate that they can be created and maintained easily and affordably. [Mayor of London]
  

This week's most intriguing stories about urban planning, public spaces and citizen action.

• Montreal vendors resist mandated Bud Light sales after business association forms exclusive partnership.  PPS Senior Vice President Steve Davies comments! [Globe and Mail]
• The Committee for Citizen Involvement in Oregon "is a process-oriented committee, providing resources and opportunities for citizens to participate effectively in Clackamas County's land use planning and decision-making process." If you live in the area, check out one of the upcoming meetings! [Clackamas Review]
• A local blogger in Windsor, Ontario applied PPS's Power of 10 waterfront design guidelines to evaluate why his local waterfront remains largely unused by the public [scaledown]
• Urban planners believe that high gas prices will finally curb sprawl [Urban Energy]
• Unique, modern New Urbanist communities spring up and thrive in and around Denver [Next American City]
• Rotating public art encourages civic engagement and discussion in Clearwater [Creative Loafing]
• The New Republic defines urban revival as "demographic inversion," rather than "gentrification" [The New Republic]
• In Buffalo, one market thrives while another suffers [Buffalo News]
  

(Lexington Food Co-op, Buffalo, NY, photo by Artvoice)