Illinois Funds New ‘Transit to Trails’ Program to Make Parks More Accessible by Bus
Courtesy of Planetizen
By Diana Ionescu
A new transit bill signed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker includes a ‘Transit to Trails’ program aimed at bringing more bus accessibility to parks. In a press release, the Sierra Club explains that “Projects that may receive funding from the grant program include altered or expanded operations of existing transit services to accommodate increased public access to the outdoors; new or improved infrastructure to facilitate access, including stations, stops, shelters, and bike infrastructure; and public outreach efforts to inform the public and encourage the use of transit.”
Read more:
https://www.planetizen.com/news/2025/12/136580-illinois-funds-new-transit-trails-program-make-parks-more-accessible-bus
In the Great Lakes Region, a Push to Grow Water-Focused Startups Amid Federal Funding Uncertainty
Courtesy of Inside Climate News
By Leigh Giangreco
A new accelerator program in the Great Lakes region is working to bring water-focused technology startups to market, even as federal funding delays create uncertainty. Led by mHUB and the nonprofit Current, the Sustainable Water Technology Accelerator supports early-stage companies developing solutions for water quality, pollution cleanup, and infrastructure challenges, providing investment, mentorship, and pilot opportunities.
The program is tied to the Great Lakes RENEW Engine, a multistate innovation initiative backed by the National Science Foundation. However, recent federal disruptions have slowed portions of that funding, complicating long-term planning. Despite these challenges, organizers remain focused on helping startups prove their technologies, attract private investment, and scale solutions that could benefit the Great Lakes region and global water markets.
Read more:
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24122025/great-lakes-water-focused-startups/
Hope—and Many Fears—Follow in the Wake of Trump’s Plan to Transform Wildland Firefighting
Courtesy of Inside Climate News
By Kiley Price
One of the most profound shifts in how the United States manages wildland fire is underway. Federal wildland fire forces are spread across several agencies, closely collaborating but each tackling prevention and protection somewhat differently. Now, the Trump administration is creating an entirely new “U.S. Wildland Fire Service” to combine as much of that under one headquarters roof as it can.
The wildfire community has mixed feelings about the push to consolidate—and whether it is even necessary. Agencies under the USDA and Interior already coordinate through the Idaho-based National Interagency Fire Center, which was established in 1965.
Read more:
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16122025/trumps-plan-to-transform-wildland-firefighting/
Future Readiness
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business +
By Jeff Kuhnhenn
As communities face frequent climate events, social disruptions, and infrastructure challenges, civic architecture is being reimagined as a front line of resilience. Libraries, recreation centers, and municipal buildings—once regarded as the background fabric of civic life—are increasingly recognized as essential public assets that can sustain communities during crises. From heat waves and rolling blackouts to wildfires and floods, these everyday facilities can do more than host after-school programs or council meetings—they can serve as shelters, distribution hubs, and command centers when emergencies strike. Yet, realizing this potential requires a mindset shift: civic leaders must see these buildings not only as amenities but as lifelines. To understand how civic buildings can become lifelines rather than liabilities, it helps to examine how their everyday strengths can be leveraged in extraordinary moments.
Read more:
https://flipbooklets.com/pdfflipbooklets/prb-january-2026?ref=prbplus.com#page18
E-bike Injuries are up 1800% — but That's not the Full Story
Courtesy of Planetizen
By Diana Ionescu
An alarming rise in e-bike-related injuries can be attributed to the lack of clarity in the way we define — and regulate — e-bikes, writes Alvin Holbrook in Velo. Many of the bikes involved in the most severe crashes are more akin to electric motorcycles, with top speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. These vehicles skirt the legal regulations for e-bikes and should, according to safety advocates, be regulated differently. A vehicle that doesn’t meet all three federal requirements for e-bikes — “it must have operable pedals, an electric motor of 750 watts or less, and a maximum speed when powered solely by the motor of 20 miles per hour” — is legally a motor vehicle, “subject to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulations, and should not be treated the same way as other e-bikes.”
Read more:
https://www.planetizen.com/news/2025/12/136523-e-bike-injuries-are-1800-thats-not-full-story
Parks Are Public Spaces – But Private Event Organizers Are Muscling In
Courtesy of Next City
By Ian Mell
Tens of thousands of fans streamed into Manchester’s Heaton Park this summer to see Oasis return home. Over 400,000 people attended across five nights of the much-hyped reunion tour. But the joy came at a price. For more than eight weeks, large parts of Heaton Park were fenced off and heavily secured, restricting everyday use. Families, dog-walkers and runners were displaced, and the effects rippled far beyond the park gates.
Pubs and restaurants thrived on concertgoers, and taxi drivers got a ready-made source of customers who would pay whatever it took. The city itself basked in the global spotlight of a high-profile homecoming.
Yet the downsides for locals were obvious: noise, antisocial behavior, litter and congestion, as well as the general fatigue of not being able to go about their daily business. Afterwards, many felt the grass and grounds had been left in a poor state, raising questions of how much – if any – of the fee would be reinvested in the park itself.
Read more:
https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/parks-are-public-spaces-but-private-event-organizers-are-muscling-in
Designing Cities for Families
Courtesy of City Lab
By Alexandra Lange
A Pulitzer Prize-winning series explores how urban design and architecture affect parents and kids. In the criticism category, the committee recognized the series “For graceful and genre-expanding writing about public spaces for families, deftly using interviews, observations and analysis to consider the architectural components that allow children and communities to thrive.”
Read more:
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/designing-cities-for-families/
The 12-Month Aquatic Playbook
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business +
By J Ryan Casserly
Every aquatic professional knows the sinking feeling of a pool closure. Members are frustrated, schedules are disrupted, and budgets are drained by emergency fixes. Too often, maintenance is reactive, something done only when equipment fails. What if leaders approached maintenance with the same discipline as that in a new build? A yearlong schedule, clear milestones, and budgets aligned with predictable needs—that is the philosophy behind AquatiCare, Landmark Aquatic’s proactive maintenance program. Instead of waiting for problems to arise, AquatiCare delivers a 12-month playbook that transforms maintenance from a liability into a strategic advantage.
Read more:
https://flipbooklets.com/pdfflipbooklets/prb-january-2026?ref=prbplus.com#page32
Making Theater a Camp-Ready Team Sport
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business +
By Peter D. Kramer
The Camp Broadway Collection has step-by-step instructions to introduce elementary and middle school campers to theater, through five classic Broadway shows: “Annie,” “Shrek,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” “Guys and Dolls,” and “Seussical.” In as little as five days, campers can stage a distilled, 20-minute musical with sets, costumes, music, and choreography, coupled with a character-education curriculum that emphasizes life skills.
Camp directors who may not know an overture from a curtain call have access to digital materials, from how to stage musical numbers to how to teach fourth-graders harmony (thanks to the Harmony Helper app.) There are glossaries, timelines, set designs and costume ideas, and step-by-step instructions and videos on how to teach choreography.
Read more:
https://flipbooklets.com/pdfflipbooklets/prb-january-2026?ref=prbplus.com#page44
The CPTED Movement
Courtesy of NICP
Safety is no longer optional — and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design is evolving to meet that moment. Today, we’re excited to share the launch of The CPTED Movement — a new long-form article and companion booklet developed by the National Institute of Crime Prevention (NICP).
CPTED emerged in the 1970s as a simple but powerful idea: our environments influence how we feel, how we move, and how we behave. Good design can reduce opportunities for crime, encourage positive interaction, and strengthen a sense of belonging. Poor design can do the opposite.
Read more:
https://thenicp.com/the-cpted-movement-series/
