Designing urban parks typically does not start from scratch. More often, designers inherit not only complex sites and aging infrastructure, but also sites and spaces deeply rooted in city and community history.

Today, we sit down with Todd Martin, City Landscape Architect for the City of Columbia, S. C., Mark Johnson, FAIA, FASLA at Civitas and Jenny Horne, Project Manager at Stantec, to talk about how Finlay Park’s redesign rekindled a community’s heart.

You can watch the podcast here.

You can read the article here.

Today, we sit down with Rowena A. Young, Executive Director of the Palmetto CRA, to talk about Connor Park in Palmetto, Fla. and how a CRA turned contamination into climate infrastructure.

You can view this podcast here.

You can read the article here.

Today, we sit down with Rich Albright, the CRO at PlayPower, to talk about the playground revolution.

Playgrounds have always been cornerstones of childhood, but today’s communities are reimagining what play looks like. Rather than cater exclusively to toddlers or elementary-school children, the most successful play spaces are increasingly designed for all ages. From community recreation centers to shopping centers and churches, parents are seeking environments where their kids (whether toddlers, teens, or somewhere between) can play together in one safe, engaging, and welcoming space.

If you want to watch this podcast, you can do so here.

If you want to read the article, you can do so here.

When people describe a task as “a walk in the park,” it’s a way of saying it’s easy, straightforward, and pleasant to accomplish. Walking to parks, on the other hand? Those trips can be perilous. Often times, pedestrians must risk crossing busy roads to reach their favorite recreation spaces. Thankfully, collaborations among advocacy groups, community-based organizations, transportation planners, and parks and recreation departments are paving the way for solutions.

“Everybody deserves to safely, conveniently, joyfully move from place to place and get physical activity as part of their everyday tasks,” says Natasha Riveron, a transportation planner focused on complete streets.

Today, we talk with Brianne Sanchez and learn how to sync transportation and park planning to improve access for pedestrians and cyclists.

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This past summer, parents across the country received notice from their schools: The institutions were cracking down on cell phone policy enforcement and, in some cases, outright banning phones in the classroom.

Today, we sit down with Sarah Veader, Assistant Vice President Risk Control at Church Mutual Insurance Company about the complex reality behind youth device bans.

Want to watch instead? You can do that here.

Want to read the article? You can do so here.

Day by day, minute by minute, we are all aging. This part of life is a gift, or at least that’s how it’s viewed at the Silver Center in Liberty, Mo.

Today, we sit down with Haley Ragan to learn what makes the Silver Center tick, and how you might incorporate some of those tactics in your community.

Prefer to watch the podcast, you can do so here.

Want to read the story? You can do that here.

Egg hunts are traditionally associated with children, baskets, and daylight—but the City of Moreno Valley, Calif., has proven that play has no age limit.

Today, we sit down with Jeremy Bubnick, Director of Parks & Community Services for the City of Moreno Valley, CA (pop 215,000) to discuss how you can bring this program to your community.

Prefer to watch? You can view this podcast here. Or, you can read it here.

Today, we sit down with Kate Mannerings from Percussion Play to discuss how a remarkable Girl Scout, working on an outdoor-music park for her Gold Award project, raised the funds, designed the space, and got it installed at the popular Rotary Youth Camp in Lee's Summit, Missouri.

If you prefer to watch the podcast, you can access it on our YouTube channel. Or, you can read the story on our website.