Streetsblog USA's annual showcase of the worst examples of car-oriented land use this year focused on places that had overcome the worst excesses of 20th century planning.
Angie Schmitt shares the results of the Parking Madness 2019 competition on Streetsblog USA, and Providence has won the "Golden Crater" award "for its decades-long effort to reclaim its public spaces from cars."
Astute observers will recall that Schmitt announced the Parking Madness 2019 with a crucial twist: instead of shaming cities with parking craters like in previous years, this year's Parking Madness would celebrate the best examples of former parking lots that have been transformed into places far more attractive, human, and healthy.
"Many cities made a strong claim to the crown, but Providence’s Capitol Hill area had the best story," according to Schmitt. "Back in the mid part of the last century, the Rhode Island Statehouse area was surround by an absolute moat of grey, lifeless asphalt." Now the area includes 'over one million square feet of retail space, 2 to 2.5 million square feet of office space, 1,000 hotel rooms, 500 residential units, 10,000 permanent jobs,' according to an expert cited in the article.
FULL STORY: Your Parking Madness 2019 Champion: Providence
And the Parking Crater Award Goes To…
One of the biggest days of the year on the urbanism calendar took place on April 20. No, not marijuana day—the awarding of the Golden Crater award to the winner of Streetsblog's annual Parking Madness competition.
Streetsblog 'Golden Crater' Goes to Camden, New Jersey for Waterfront Parking Abyss
Angie Schmitt announces the results of the 2015 "Parking Madness" tournament, which pits the country's worst examples of parking.
From Plan to Place: Providence’s Downtown Renaissance
Providence’s downtown is transforming from plan to place. Decades of strategic planning, zoning reforms, & investment are paying off, creating a more vibrant, walkable urban core. Here’s how thoughtful policy and design are shaping the city’s future.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service