The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the nation’s largest trails organization, recently announced their vision for the Great American Rail-Trail—a mega bike trail that would connect 4,000 miles of rail-trail and other multi-use trails to form a path across the country from Washington, DC to Washington State.
Paris’s parks and gardens may be beautiful, but they’ve always had strict rules on how to enjoy the green spaces. Many of Paris’s public gardens have loosened their rules since the start of the new year—part of the City Hall-led drive to make Paris greener and more pleasant to live in.
In Portland, Oregon, the Metro Council is working with businesses and residents in the metropolitan area to plan for the future. In the process of planning two new parks, Metro empowered community partners and members from African-American, Hispanic, Asian, Indigenous, and immigrant and refugee communities to sit in the planner’s seat and guide the park design process and outcome.
The Underline, a 10-mile linear park below Miami’s MetroRail, has the potential to make the city more equitable by prioritizing affordable housing initiatives so everyone can benefit from the amenity. Several “rails-to-trails” projects around the U.S., like The BeltLine and the High Line, have grappled with concerns of lessened affordability and increased gentrification—and the Underline will have to grapple with it as well.
Affordable apartments near reliable public transportation aren’t always easy to find. Sound Transit, Puget Sound’s transportation authority, is working on a light rail expansion and will work with local agencies to fill many pieces of leftover land with affordable housing.
Eight bayous will be connected through the $220 million Bayou Greenways 2020 project.
Argentina’s capital hopes to revitalize 145 acres of its riverfront by establishing a ‘Youth District,’ a proposed recreational area that will—as part of rezoning—feature private bars, restaurants and clubs. Critics argue that the plan is socially exclusive and commercial, and poses an environmental risk. Some activists worry the project will make the area more prone to flooding, which is a regular occurrence in Buenos Aires—last spring, flash floods caused the evacuation of hundreds of residents.
Detroit’s Office of Sustainability, which focuses on community engagement, has designed a digital map for residents to create and support location-based comments that point out what they like, and what they do not. The Office also attend community meetings and has appointed 14 sustainability ambassadors.
With the High Line’s newest section, the Spur, set to open in April, final work is being done on this offshoot before it officially opens. The plaza offers remarkable views of the city in all four directions and will feature the Plinth, a space for showing monumental works of art.
As the magnitude of climate challenges increases, communities need to continue to experiment with new approaches and proactively invest in more resilient stormwater infrastructure. If community leaders and infrastructure decision makers demonstrate—and communicate—the value of these investments, they may find it easier to pilot alternative projects and realize broader community benefits.
