Most successful city squares in the US are programmed with a variety of activities throughout the year – festivals, markets, food, music, and cultural events. This is a great service to the community, ensuring that all citizens have access to free city events, and providing a festive lunchtime setting for workers and shoppers. However, it … Read more
Where you live affects your health and life expectancy. A report released in September by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation projects that obesity rates in 13 States will be over 60% by 2030. These are state-wide rates, so the rates for poor neighborhoods within those states will be ever … Read more
Until the nineteenth century, a square or plaza was a hard surfaced open space between buildings, a place for contact with our fellow human beings in exchange, dialogue, debate, play and democratic decision making. Parks belonged to the nobility and were for recreation and contact with nature. The confusion began in the 19th century when … Read more
Until the nineteenth century, a square or plaza was a hard surfaced open space between buildings, a place for contact with our fellow human beings in exchange, dialogue, debate, play and democratic decision making. Parks belonged to the nobility and were for recreation and contact with nature. The confusion began in the 19th century when … Read more
The idea is simple. People who live close – within a 10 minute walk – to grocery stores, transit lines, parks, and other essential services, can more easily minimize environmental impacts and maximize a healthy lifestyle. Making choices that benefit one’s self and society at large should be a real option, not a constant battle … Read more
Plaza San Martín de Tours is by no means the most celebrated square in Buenos Aires. Historically, political unrest has expressed itself in the Plaza de Mayo, which sits directly in front of Argentina’s Pink House, the seat of federal power. In the San Telmo neighborhood, the Plaza Dorrego boasts one of the most vibrant … Read more
If you are concerned with making our cities and suburbs healthy and livable for all, take a look at the wise and invaluable book, Elderburbia. Written by Philip Stafford[i], director of the Center on Aging and Community and the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University, this book speaks to urban designers, planners … Read more
The IMCL Healthy Communities Urban Plazas Award was presented to landscape architect, Deane Rundell[i] at a ceremony on Main Street Square, Rapid City, SD on Saturday, August 25, in the midst of a festive program of events. The day started with a market in the alley, guitar concert, children’s dance group, and after lunch came … Read more
The IMCL Healthy Communities Urban Plazas Award was presented to landscape architect, Deane Rundell[i] at a ceremony on Main Street Square, Rapid City, SD on Saturday, August 25, in the midst of a festive program of events. The day started with a market in the alley, guitar concert, children’s dance group, and after lunch came … Read more
Confronted with tumultuous weather patterns, global warming, and the end of oil looming in the not so distant future, the United States’ interest in sustainable urban design has begun to take hold. Dr. Timothy Beatley, a professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at University of Virginia, has been emphasizing the importance of creating greener communities … Read more