-
Tech NewsThe App You’ve Never Heard of That’s Making Your City Better
In the 80s and 90s, the 911 system in the US became overloaded with people calling to report things like wayward couches and double-parked cars—not emergencies, yet situations where city officials could help. In 1996, Baltimore successfully tested a system that diverted these requests to a separate number. In 1997, the FCC reserved “311” as … Continued
-
Tech NewsSix Freeway Removals That Changed Their Cities Forever
It seems counterintuitive, right? Rip out eight lanes of freeway through the middle of your metropolis and you’ll be rewarded with not only less traffic, but safer, more efficient cities? But it’s true, and it’s happening in places all over the world. Many freeway systems were overbuilt in an auto-obsessed era. It was decades later … Continued
-
Tech News
The Best Solution to Stop Skyscrapers From Casting Shadows on Central Park
Upper Manhattan-dwelling New Yorkers have been complaining for years that supertalls are going to ruin the views from their beloved Central Park. Here’s a very good solution: lower the elevation of the park. The annual eVolo Skyscraper Competition consistently delivers some of the wackiest concepts for tall buildings we’ve ever seen. I particularly love the … Continued
-
Tech News
A Floating Forest Will Add Instant Greenery to Rotterdam’s Harbor
Like oversized fishing bobbers used as flower vases, these 20 trees planted in colorful buoys are designed to add whimsy and nature to Rotterdam’s industrial waterfront. The installation, named Dobberend Bos, or “bobbing forest” in Dutch, will be released into the city’s harbor in March. The idea was prompted by the work of sculptor Jorge … Continued
-
Tech News
A Totally Feasible Plan to Turn Manhattan’s Busiest Street Into a 40-Block Park
New York City has plenty of parks that revamp aging transit infrastructure: The High Line transforms a decrepit elevated rail route, the Lowline reclaims forgotten tunnels. But neither of those is as ambitious as the Green Line, a concept that would turn a major street into a linear park. The Green Line is an idea … Continued
-
Tech News
These Parks Are Reclaiming Ugly Urban Underpasses as Public Space
Manhattan’s rails-to-trails High Line sparked a global trend of turning old transit infrastructure into parks. But a new breed of public spaces aren’t waiting for the transportation around them to stop running—they’re transforming the ground below the still-active elevated tracks. Use the slider to navigate between before and after shots proposed for Miami’s Underline We’ve … Continued
-
Tech NewsWatch How Designers Re-engineered an Island to Make a Park in New York City
Parks aren’t always built just so we can enjoy the trees. On Governor’s Island in New York City, a truly unique public space will bring nature back to a former military base–and it’s engineered to withstand the catastrophic storms that climate change will bring. It’s called The Hills, and in this documentary, we talk to … Continued
-
Tech News
I Kayaked the Part of the Los Angeles River That Actually Looks Like a River
It was 90 degrees at 10:00 a.m. when I stepped off the Orange Line in the LA neighborhood of Van Nuys. A perfect day for the beach, or for the pool, or for positioning yourself directly beneath those little misters you can find at finer restaurants in the Valley. But I was about to embark … Continued
-
Tech NewsLA Residents Try to Hide Hollywood Sign From Tourists, Except on Airbnb
Last year, a group of homeowners who live in the Hollywood Hills had directions to the Hollywood Sign changed on Google Maps to keep tourists away from their streets. All the tourists, that is, except for the ones who rent their properties on Airbnb. They want those tourists to know exactly where the Hollywood Sign … Continued
-
Tech News
Someone Smuggled This Teahouse Into an LA Park Without Anyone Noticing
Los Angeles’s Griffith Park is home to miles of hiking trails, the Hollywood Sign, and at least one mountain lion. Now, suddenly, the park has a teahouse, secretly installed by a group of anonymous artists on a hillside overlooking the city. Los Angeles Times columnist Carolina Miranda was one of a handful of journalists invited … Continued
-
Tech News
The 5 Coolest New Parks and Public Spaces In the U.S.
Urban Land Institute has announced its Open Space Awards, celebrating five exceptional new parks and public spaces across the U.S. But what’s even more exciting is what these green spaces replaced: A freeway, a mall, a truck-loading facility, a rail yard, and a cemetery. The criteria for ULI’s Open Space Awards are not just aesthetic … Continued
-
Tech News
Washington DC’s Very Own High Line Will Clean Its Dirty River Water
The Anacostia River that runs through Washington DC has historically been known as, well, not the cleanest river in the country. A new elevated park straddling the river plans to filter the dirty water with a waterfall feature (apparently projected with Frederick Douglass’s face). It’s the winning design announced today for the city’s upcoming elevated … Continued
-
Tech News
A Bittersweet Walk On the High Line’s Latest (and Last) Leg
For the past five years, New Yorkers have enjoyed that linear green thoroughfare known as the High Line, which has been slowly extending up the West Side of Manhattan since 2009. Yesterday, the third and final phase of the park was completed, and it’s both happy and sad—that a great project was seen to completion, … Continued
-
Tech News
4 Futuristic Designs for DC’s Very Own High Line
Not to be outdone by New York City’s beloved High Line (the final, most unwieldy phase of which opens this fall), Washington DC is planning its own elevated park, which will sail over the Anacostia River on a former freeway bridge. Four visions for the park have been released as part of a competition. And … Continued
-
Tech News11 Clever Ways Cities Are Taking Advantage of Public Space
A garden skyscraper. A sidewalk library. A floating pool. A DIY bike park. These are some of the finalists in the Place By Design competition announced today by SXSW Eco, a new sustainability conference by the organizers of SXSW. Which one makes the greatest impact on a city? Finalists for the competition were selected across … Continued
-
Tech News
The World’s Biggest Picnic Blanket Is Growing in the Swiss Countryside
An art installation that plans to be the world’s largest picnic blanket is currently checkerboarding its way through the green rolling hills of Switzerland. This summer, about 1,500 picnickers have ventured to the site, which is adorably named BIGNIK. And it’s only going to get bigger. The blanket is the vision of brothers Frank and … Continued
-
Tech News
How Alleys Are Becoming Pathways to Urban Revitalization
This might just be the most desolate alley in Denver. Under the Evans Avenue Bridge and a stone’s throw from the railroad tracks, this is an absolutely forgotten urban place, complete with the requisite tires, mattresses and beer bottles amidst the waist-high tumbleweeds. Most of Denver’s 4,000 alleys have been paved, and there are plans … Continued
Eric Peterson - Issue Media Group -
Tech News
Why Southwest Airlines Is Building Parks in Each of Its 90 Cities
Over the last 47 years, Southwest Airlines has built a vibrant—if a little goofy—airborne community. Now some of that culture is fueling urban improvements on the ground. Southwest’s new initiative called the Heart of the Community is working to build public spaces in all of the 90 cities the airline serves. “Southwest has always been … Continued
-
Tech News
Ditch Your Car And Grab A Bike For These 9 Open Streets Festivals
Around the world, cities are transforming busy streets into public spaces, if only for a few blissful hours. These open streets festivals create safe, healthy recreation areas for residents and help cities carve out space for biking, walking, skating, rolling, strolling, stretching, and even dancing. Today’s open street festivals are inspired by ciclovías, which began … Continued
-
Tech NewsD.C.’s Planning Its Own High Line On a Freeway Bridge
The runway success of the High Line has sparked trendy rail-to-trail conversions across the country. Now D.C. is offering its own twist: A park on a span of decommissioned freeway that crosses the Anacostia River. Maybe they’ll call it the “Highway Line.” The 11th Street Bridge was built after World War II and became part … Continued