Facilitating a conversation around urban design elements that will elevate the lives of everyone.
Cleveland has recently released the results of their community needs assessment which was conducted in the summer of 2023. The assessment is part of Cleveland City Hall’s master-planning process of parks and recreation. One of the surprising results is that half of all Clevelanders avoid their city parks and recreation centers because of “poor maintenance”. … Read more
Open Street events are like giant parties where people from the neighborhood can come together. Residents can hang out, chat, walk, run, bike, skate, dance, or do other fun stuff on streets that are closed to cars for a little while. These events are free and made for everyone, no matter how old you are … Read more
The Federal rail officials in December 2023 allocated $2 million in grants to initiate planning for the expansion of intercity passenger rail service in Michigan. The plans include the introduction of new rail service from Detroit to Ontario and the creation of additional corridors which would include a connection from Cleveland to Detroit via Toledo. … Read more
The effort in Cleveland being led by the Cleveland City Planning Commission along with the Greater Cleveland Partnership and Field Operations (planning firm) is working to reimagine the lakefront’s North Coast area around the Browns’ football stadium, science center, and Rock Hall. According to the organization’s website, the North Coast Master Plan is “the guiding … Read more
A recent study entitled “The Role of Home Gardens in Developing Cities for Improving Workers’ Psychological Conditions” was published in the 2022, Volume 6 of the Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs. It offers a correlation based insight into the benefit of home gardens for a personal’s mental well-being and lower levels of stress. Specifically, the … Read more
As pedestrian traffic fatalities continue to increase in this country, many researchers are looking for ways to improve safety. A recent study entitled “Effect of vehicle external acceleration signal light on pedestrian-vehicle interaction” is addressing this in an innovative way by improving the “communication loop” between car and pedestrian. (full citation: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42932-2 Li, F., Pan, … Read more
Is Public Art important to a community? Yes, if you are interested in economic growth. Public art can include murals, sculptures, landscape work, memorials, architecture, or even performances. It’s located in public spaces so it’s “free” and open to everyone. Oftentimes, a work of art will reflect on the history of the specific place or … Read more
Many studies have shown high quality urban parks are not accessible equally to all demographic groups. A recent study entitled “Social media analysis reveals environmental injustices in Philadelphia urban parks” looked more in depth at this issue with a focus on how individuals perceive the parks based on social media reports. (full study citation: Walter, … Read more
More than 100 speed humps for neighborhood streets have been approved by the city of Pontiac, MI budget. The intent is to get drivers to slow down on residential streets and near parks to improve safety. Residents there have been advocating for years to see something like this approved. The city of Pontiac believes it … Read more
Gillian Sandstrom is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Psychology of Kindness at the University of Sussex. She arrived at this position, in part, by developing a “smile-and-wave relationship with a lady who worked at a hot dog stand” during her graduate studies. This relationship led to her studying further the interactions people have with … Read more