Should you find yourself wandering around the city of Leiden, the Netherlands sometime, you may notice some curious markings on the city's walls.

These Muurgedichten ("Wall Poems") adorn many of the town's streets (clickable map), and many English-language poets are represented: one John Keats, for instance, inside a bookshop; Dylan Thomas, E. E. Cummings, W.B. Yeats, some guy called William Shakespeare, or this ode to Charlie Parker by American William Waring Cuney. [more inside]
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane on Apr 5, 2009 - 15 comments

Guerilla Gardening is a movement to make public spaces more attractive, by planting in derelict or unattractive public ground. Founder Richard Reynolds has enlisted the help of people similarly dedicated to beautifying public space in UK urban areas, and the movement has inspired other groups. For people who don't want to dig holes in the ground or get their hands messy, there are instructions for seed-and-run scenarios. Apparently, even the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are in on the act.
posted by darsh on May 18, 2006 - 11 comments

The Project for Public Spaces releases its list of the 20 best neighborhoods in North America. See Also: The World's Best and Worst Parks.
posted by deafmute on Nov 27, 2004 - 54 comments