Oklahoma City has earned a big recognition. Myriad Botanical Gardens executive director Maureen Heffernan says know her team knows what it feels like to win a World Series.
Zak Patterson reports that the Myriad Botanical Gardens is Oklahoma City was awarded the Urban Land Institute Urban Open Space award. "The award is given to parks that have "socially enriched and revitalized the economy of their surrounding communities," explains Patterson.
The ULI website announcing the 2015 winners describe the Myriad Botanical Gardens thusly:
Myriad Botanical Gardens, owned by the Myriad Gardens Foundation and designed by the Office of James Burnett, and Murase Associates, is a joint investment effort that takes a highly-underused yet prime 15-acre urban downtown garden and park site that had fallen into disrepair, and turns it into a state-of-the-art, highly active destination to improve the quality of life in Oklahoma City and continue the renaissance of the entire downtown.
Myriad Botanical Gardens joined Thousand Lantern Lake Park System in Foshan, Guangdong, China as this year's winners of the global ward, beating out other finalists from Singapore, Chicago, Santa Monica, California and Washington, D.C.
FULL STORY: Myriad Botanical Gardens selected as global winner of urban space award
New Park Space for an Old City
After 3,400 years, Athens will soon get its first large urban park. When completed in 2030, Ellinikon Metropolitan Park will be 600 acres (243 ha), about three-fourths the size of New York City’s Central Park, an enormous addition of green space.
What Makes a High Quality Park?
A new report can help park developers and managers assess quality, park by park and systemwide, to make investments and address disparities in access to high quality parks.
National Partners Launch the 10-Minute Walk to a Park Campaign
The 10-Minute Walk to a Park Campaign launched earlier this month.
Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny
The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.
‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland
Portland is redesigning its bus system to respond to the changing patterns of the post-pandemic world—with twin goals of increasing ridership and improving equity.
Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?
New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?
700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah
A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.
More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus
Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.
Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says
Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
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.
