“The pier has become the very overcommercialized “festival marketplace” its planners said they didn’t want it to be. Think of it as Chicago’s very own shopping mall by the sea, which proves the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas’ observation that shopping has thoroughly infiltrated contemporary public space.”

“Ten years after the old 42nd Street — sleazy and scary — started being transformed into “The New 42nd Street” — cleaned-up, crime-free, and corporate — all the critical questions of urban planning facing the city seem to be playing out on that one famous street.”

“Like a feverish dream, Mongkok comes alive at night. Thick crowds grow thicker with the onset of dusk, as the glow of giant billboards consumes its neighbourhoods. Flickering neon bathes the narrow streets in shades of scarlet and ochre - it’s like the Hong Kong you’ve always imagined.

…Mongkok owes its character to two key ingredients: street markets and theme streets. Half a century ago, the urban observer Jane Jacobs noted that businesses of a specific nature tend to congregate around one another - nowhere is this phenomenon more obvious than in Mongkok. Streets specializing in sport shoes, fish, hardware, flowers, electronics and more can be found scattered around the district. “Theme streets” might be a tacky term, conjuring up images of Disneyland or Las Vegas, but in reality they help Mongkok attract diverse crowds of people.”

“Thousands of commuters in Lyon, France, are using pedal power instead of gas, under an ambitious new program that lets people rent bikes from public racks at low cost.”

…”Certainly, bikes are one of the most efficient forms of public transport. Once built, they cause zero emissions.”

The Mission Center Mall in Kansas City will undergo a multi-million dollar makeover that will convert it into a mixed-use commerical and residential development.

In another story highlighting re-use of a suburban site, a business park in Rockville, MD, will be converted into a mixed-use neighborhood, and will include residential lofts and a market center that will offer affordable retail space for startup businesses.

Oregon is the only state in the U.S. to not see an increase in obesity rates over the past year, according to a study released by Trust for America’s Health.

“What makes Oregon different is its emphasis on urban design, which encourages outdoor activities like biking to work, the study’s authors said.

Ten percent of Portland residents pedal to the office on a system of bike paths that crisscross the city like arteries, just as they do in Boulder, Colorado — another bike-friendly metropolis, located in the leanest state in the nation. Only 16.4 percent of Coloradans are obese, according to the study.”

Can LA’s new mayor beat back the ‘demons that have derailed L.A.s most ambitious transit plans’ and build the rail system Los Angeles deserves?

“Some mixed-use districts in the Washington region have fallen short of being true town centers, some academics and smart growth advocates say.

…Some town centers are too exclusive and are basically enclosed communities with no civic parks, public space or income diversity, these critics say. Others are “mixed use” in name but end up being compact versions of suburban development.

…”You don’t want to just say it’s a mixed-use town center and hang it on a suburban development,” said Barry Carpenter, urban and community designer with Sympoetica, which has designed a few town center developments in Virginia and elsewhere. “What you want to do is not separate uses but integrate uses.”"

“When voters ordered 35 new parks and 37 new playing fields in February, planners couldn’t reach for a shelf of standardized park designs.

That’s because there are no cookie-cutter park designs gathering dust in filing cabinets. Each park must be designed after consultation with that neighborhood.

The consultation has started with rudimentary classes for residents in park design, followed by questioning of each neighborhood about what it wants in its patch of greenery. So far, 13 parks are in some stage of design, said Steve Duh, senior planner for the city-county Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation Department.”

Nashville will likely install metal railings around the tops of six raised planters downtown in a bid to “keep children, panhandlers, homeless people and others from sitting on them and ruining the foliage.”

As PPS’s work in Rockefeller Center shows, offering the public a choice of comfortable seating can enliven and activate a public space. PPS recommended providing benches, at a time when the management preferred to install spikes to prevent people from sitting. The benches made Channel Gardens a more active place, which led to the improved image and profitability of the entire complex.

You can read more about Rockefeller Center here