The Dirt

Earlier this month the Earth Day Network released its“Urban Environment Report,” which ranked 72 U.S. cities. The report used over 200 indicators, chief among them air quality, quality of life, parks and recreation, toxics and waste, drinking and surface water, human and public health, and global warming climate change.

By visiting the site you can slice and dice the report’s findings in many ways: here, for example, is the link that lists cities by their public parks’ score. From the report:

Urban parks also provide play areas that are critical to children’s physical, mental and social development. Additionally, at-risk youth in crime-stressed neighborhoods benefit from the opportunities to enjoy safe havens to interact with their peers and to engage in outdoor activities that redirect their energies from potentially more troublesome pastimes. For adult residents, urban parks provide the chance to interact with neighbors and to participate in communal activities, such as community gardening, that offer a sense of community and environmental stewardship.

Hear, hear.

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Yesterday the Indianapolis Museum of Art announced the names of 10 artists and artist collectives selected to create works for the new IMA Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park. The 100-acre park, scheduled to open in 2009, will be designed by landscape architect Edward L. Blake, ASLA, and architect Marlon Blackwell. The pair will work with the artists throughout the design and build process.

Below is the list of IMA artists:

• Haluk Akakçe
• Atelier Van Lieshout
• Kendall Buster
• Sam Easterson
• Peter Eisenman
• Alfredo Jaar
• Los Carpinteros
• Tea Mäkipää
• Type A
• Andrea Zittel

Click here to go directly to view a professionally produced 5-minute video overview of the project.

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The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Broward County officials are actively seeking major corporate sponsorship for their 16 regional and five neighborhood parks. The new 97-acre Central Broward Regional Park is up first for “big-name companies” to bid for advertising space and naming opportunities for the park’s facilities.

From the article:

“We are clearly in a financial situation in this county where we need to be innovative and looking for additional revenue sources,” Commissioner Ken Keechl said during a recent [Parks and Recreation] commission workshop.

Next time The Dirt is in Fort Lauderdale, we plan to take a jog around the Diet Sprite^TM Nature Trail and then cool down at the Mentos^TM water fountains located next to the General Mills^TM playing field. Won’t you join us?

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Today’s LA Times looks at the finances of Bryant Park in New York City. The park, which is completely funded by commercial sponsors and fees, represents what might be a growing trend of private financing for public spaces. Critics are concerned that the public, particularly the poor, may be one day forced out of these quasi-private spaces. Proponents say that private donations help improve the care and upkeep of parks much more than fickle public money. Read on for the Times‘ take.

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A new playground in McLean, Virginia, is quickly becoming the destination in the minds of eager parents and caregivers, according to the Washington Post. Grace Fielder, ASLA, designed Clemyjontri Park to be a fun and educational space for children both with and without disabilities. The park’s motto is “Where every child can play.” Some of the park’s accessible features include larger swing sets and other equipment, ramps and widened pathways, signs that include Braille and American Sign Language, and more.

The Post reports that the park is so popular that there are frequent traffic jams and parking problems around the playground. The Dirt wishes that more public spaces could be such “victims” of their own success!

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