London Play Design’s Post

Some great ideas with a bit misleading article title. Given the increased demand for open spaces, rising costs of construction, and growing deferred maintenance of parks: creativity and partnerships are needed. - Lowering costs by using native plants, spare materials from other construction, and upcycling existing park amenities - Revisiting ways existing public and underutilized lands can expand the benefits of parks (sites around schools, highways, etc.) - Leveraging private sector partnerships to bridge funding gaps or space needs (such as privately-owned public open spaces) - Empowering community and nonprofits in the decision-making process to build civic ownership and fosters ongoing support for parks https://lnkd.in/guKE466w

What if every person in America had access to a park and green space within a 5 to 10 minute walk? - 1 in 3 U.S. residents don't have a park or green space within a 10-minute walk of home - 100 million people, including 28 million children, do not have access to parks Together we can change this. Here are two amazing initiatives doing just that. Trust for Public Land is working to close the park equity divide through their 10-Minute Walk Program. Their ParkServe and ParkScore technologies are great and show you how your area ranks and the closest parks and green spaces to you. My current town of Fort Collins, CO has some amazing parks and nature areas, and still only 73% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. Learn more here: https://10minutewalk.org/ And I just learned about REI's Outside in 5 initiative from Richard Trent and Akiima Price over at Friends of Anacostia Park. The mission of this project is to get 100 million folks outside in 5 minutes or less by supporting local projects and urging Congress to pass the Outdoors for All Act. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dZtRqYYh What other programs or people do you know working to close this equity gap?

Increasing access to natural spaces should be a priority for all communities. Here’s an innovative idea for communities with limited resources.

Great article today in Bloomberg that sheds light on a startling reality for most communities working to integrate more parks and open spaces into their plans. The benefits of flood mitigation, improved air quality, recreation opportunities and community beautification run up against the harsh realities of shifting construction costs and maintenance needs. Perhaps its time to stop thinking of creating parks in such traditional terms, and start rethinking community programming that maximizes the spaces (and connections between spaces) we already have?

🌳 FACT: The only reason municipal parks would ever need to be low budget is because the budget is overspent on other things that don’t actually improve people’s health and well-being. 🌳 For example, City of Chicago 2024 budget is up for approval, and Mayor Johnson has increased the budget for Chicago Police Department, who already gets more than $4 million a DAY. 🌳 ONE DAY of City of Chicago Public Safety spending could fund DOZENS of parks for children and families to play and safely be together. 🌳 In Chicago, it’s actually about the City’s spending priorities, and not about building cheaper parks. Our communities need money for public green spaces more than Chicago Police Department needs $1.94 billion each year. And that’s a fact.

Do communities form trails… or do trails form communities? 🚵 If you ask us, the answer is yes! Trails have the potential to powerfully influence the way a community moves. Thoughtfully designed trails can offer attractive and convenient ways to get around, improve physical and mental health, and become iconic community gathering spaces. But to achieve these outcomes, a trail must be born from the community that will use it. 🤝 Read about 6️⃣ principles we consider when planning, designing, and maintaining trails that become permanent pieces of their communities' identities below. #Trails #Community #TransportationDesign

Tactical urbanism having an impact in Denton, TX. Putting people together in common community space and fostering conversations about the unintended consequences of these outdated parking mandates = new ideas for a more people-friendly solution. Add to this a recent study released by Strong Towns that showed Toronto's curbside patios made 49 times more money than the parking they replaced. Residents spent a total of $181 million at curbside patios within 13 weeks of summer in 2021. If those spaces had remained dedicated to parking, only $3.7 million would have been reaped during the same time period. #placemaking #parkingsolutions #urbanplanning #urbandesign #communitydevelopment #civicspaces #wellness #smallbusiness #streets

Note how the planners see our future, this one in Exeter a “10 minute”community and 1 Parking space for every five households and 12 levels of homes. A side note rarely buildings have a 13th floor as it’s superstitious. Is this really the future we want for our children? Devon is rolling countryside and beautiful estuaries surely we should be getting people out to nature rather than racking and stacking them 12 stories high as controllable consumers? No mention of a vertical take off pad, climate cooling, gardens or how 4000 people are going to get out into the countryside on a hot weekend and store their boats bicycles or even a paddle board. Personally it’s not the future I would want for my kids. Article from Express and Echo today. #Future #city #15minute #10minute #matrix #modernliving #Devon #Exeter