Parks & Recreation

The Inequality of Parks and Green Space

New research finds that income, education, and race are correlated with access to green space across and within U.S. metro areas. But some cities are more equitable than others.

  • By Richard Florida, CityLab

The Inequality of Parks and Green Space

New research finds that income, education, and race are correlated with access to green space across and within U.S. metro areas. But some cities are more equitable than others.

  • By Richard Florida, CityLab
Parks & Recreation

The Inequality of Parks and Green Space

New research finds that income, education, and race are correlated with access to green space across and within U.S. metro areas. But some cities are more equitable than others.

  • By Richard Florida, CityLab

Small Bikeshare System to Launch in an Unexpected Place

Wheeling, West Virginia looks to leverage its local network of bike trails.

  • By Michael Grass

Paying the Homeless to Clean Up City Parks

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Civil asset forfeiture reform bills … New Orleans short-term rental restrictions … and Oregon roadkill consumption rules.

  • By Michael Grass

City Leader Wants Residents to Try Balancing the Parks and Rec Budget

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Federal shutdown delays hurricane recovery funds … another Flint water crisis plea deal …. and confusion comes with Conn. town’s pay-per-bag trash collection proposal.

  • By Michael Grass

A New Placemaking Center to Guide Changing Demographics and Technology

Brookings Institutions’ Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking wants to connect more residents to opportunities using cutting-edge development practices, tools and policies.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

How One Parks Department Created a Mobile Playground

Baton Rouge's parks agency wanted to get kids moving to combat youth obesity.

  • By Christine Vestal

When the Honors System Short-Changes State Parks

An audit found that one-third of park visitors in this state didn’t pay an entrance fee.

  • By Michael Grass

How a Midsize U.S. City Is Preparing to Host One of the World’s Largest Sporting Events

The IAAF track-and-field world championships are still three years away. Local officials in Eugene, Oregon may be “slightly nervous” but are embracing an “opportunity to really shine.”

  • By Michael Grass

Predicting Obesity From a City's Infrastructure

An artificial intelligence algorithm found a correlation between green space and obesity in several cities.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Mitigating Flood Impacts With Resiliency Parks

How a New Jersey city is combating flood risks with comprehensive parks planning

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Hovercraft Case in Alaska Tests Federal Rules on Rivers in National Parks

A 9th Circuit decision—now before the U.S. Supreme Court— is being viewed by some as a potential “springboard for the expansion of federal control over state-owned navigable waters throughout the country.”

  • By Laura Maggi

This City Park Is Using Goats to Remove Invasive Plant Species

It's the goats' second season at Theodore Wirth Regional Park, a project spearheaded by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Which Major City Has the Best Parks?

For the third year in a row, Minneapolis claimed the top spot in the Trust for Public Land's ParkScore index.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

City in Michigan Removes Fountain Offensive to Native Americans

Kalamazoo officials have not yet decided what to do with a 1940 monument or how to repurpose the park space.

  • By Ben Lando, Special to Route Fifty

Report: 68 National Parks Threatened by Offshore Drilling Expansion

Companies simply can’t guarantee a catastrophic spill won’t occur jeopardizing the livelihoods of coastal communities, a new report says.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Florida Snakes Remain Hungry as Hunters Capture 1,000th Python

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Wisconsin localities turn to “wheel taxes” ... Sacramento plans massive tents for the homeless ... N.Y.C. rent-controlled housing at risk … and Toledo’s lead-safe property deadline.

  • By Michael Grass

Ann Arbor Puts a Cork in Public Tree Tapping

“Not only is tapping street and park trees illegal, but doing so causes damage, leaving trees susceptible to insects and diseases,” the city said in a newsletter.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

With Kilauea Off Limits, New Mexico Has Its Own Kilauea-Like Spot to Check Out

Officials in Hawaii, for good reason, want you to steer clear of the danger zone on the Big Island. But a location on the mainland shows what can happen when lava oozes across the landscape.

  • By Michael Grass

Wringing Out New Truths From Data: Tracking Social Progress in Cities

Urban designers are ready to help cities learn from each other, combing through data both old and new.

  • By Gregor Macdonald, Special to Route Fifty

Public Spaces and Local Democracy

COMMENTARY | The ongoing political battle over Civil War monuments—and the public spaces they reside in—reflects a disconnect over civic expression and our public spaces.

  • By Jess Zimbabwe and Alex Jones, Special to Route Fifty