Feet First Philly is taking a short break from the internet to celebrate our nation's birthday next week. We'll be back in full swing on July 5th! In the meantime, enjoy this collection of news and blog posts from the pedestrian sphere. • Chalfont Playground in Northeast Philly gets new play equipment and a sprayground! (NEastPhilly.com) • This summer, Parks … Continue reading Links for the week of 6/24
Friday links for 5/31/13
New York Times: A Streetcorner Serenade for the Public Plaza. The New York City Department of Transportation is focusing on projects that can be completed quickly, easily and with relatively little investment in order to turn underutilized spaces into public plazas. Many other cities, including Philly, have had great success creating public spaces like this. As … Continue reading Friday links for 5/31/13
Article: Mexico City creates public spaces from vacant areas under freeways
In many American cities (not just in the U.S.), highway infrastructure has changed the urban landscape and created new challenges for planners. Mexico City has developed a unique strategy for dealing with one of these challenges; namely, the empty space under highway overpasses. These areas, which were previously occupied by vagrants and unlicensed parking lots, … Continue reading Article: Mexico City creates public spaces from vacant areas under freeways
Free guided tours during “What’s Out There Weekend” event, May 18-19
The Cultural Landscape Foundation is offering a series of free guided tours (pdf) throughout the day on May 18th and 19th that highlight history, horticulture, nature, and design. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to explore what Philadelphia's publicly-accessible parks, neighborhoods, and other public spaces have to offer! More information: What's Out There Weekend Philadelphia
The details of building a park over I-95
If you are familiar with the Master Plan for the Central Delaware, produced in 2011 by the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, you've probably seen the image below. It's a shiny rendering that depicts a park spanning I-95 and Columbus Boulevard, creating a welcoming pedestrian connection to the Delaware River. But how feasible is this project? … Continue reading The details of building a park over I-95
Why “pop-up” placemaking may be a misnomer
Marcus Westbury, Australian urbanist and founder of the nonprofit "Renew Newcastle," believes that the terminology often used for small-scale projects meant to revitalize urban places and kick start development can be misleading. Phrases such as "pop-up parks" and "tactical urbanism" suggest temporary fixes to persistent problems, which misses the bigger point that the methods used … Continue reading Why “pop-up” placemaking may be a misnomer
Park(ing) Day creates more space for people
Philadelphia has lots of great public spaces, but for today only, a few more have popped up. It's Park(ing) Day, where citizens and organizations transform ordinary street parking spots into public spaces! Park(ing) Day is a worldwide event held on the third Friday in September. This year, activists, artists, and others have created 59 temporary … Continue reading Park(ing) Day creates more space for people
New pedestrian plaza at 42nd and Woodland!
A new pedestrian plaza is popping up at 42nd Street and Woodland Avenue in University City! According to the Naked Philly real estate blog, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the plaza on September 19th.Do you know of any other underutilized paved areas that could be redesigned as public space for pedestrians? Tell us … Continue reading New pedestrian plaza at 42nd and Woodland!
Feet First Philly 