This past Saturday, I had the honour of joining a group of invited urbanists and sustainability experts, in a special dialogue put on by The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment, and Vancouver's Simon Fraser University. Among other things, the event was to launch a new partnership between these two innovative organizations around research and curriculum for sustainable urbanism.
Community / Economic Development
Big Ideas Take Hold of Detroit
The American dream is alive and well in Detroit, as artists, urban farmers, and intellectuals see opportunity.
New Geography
The Art of Civic Engagement
In Starksboro, Vermont, planners are using storytelling and community art projects to get at the heart of what matters to residents.
Burlington Free Press
Types of Development for the Creative Class
Cool Town Studios offers this list of 19 development types for the creative class.
Cool Town Studios
The Fall of Victorville
Victorville, CA is a textbook case of the housing bubble gone wrong. Moving forward, Warren Karlenzig argues that places like Victorville show the need to consider a new paradigm of density and efficiency moving forward.
Green Flow blog
Brain Gain in Eastern Germany
After twenty years of reunification, the eastern part of Germany is finally beginning to lure educated workers back.
The New York Times
Isn't This How We Got Into This Mess in the First Place?
In the name of economic stimulus, the government has invested deeply in the very business (real estate) that was driving the economy down. Does that make sense? Streetsblog's Ryan Avent reports.
Streetsblog
The Solution for Homelessness? Homes.
Neal Peirce says that there is finally light at the end of the tunnel in the debate over homelessness, and a consensus that stopgaps don't work. The real answer is to, duh, give them homes.
Citiwire.net
Fleeting Design
Fri, 11/06/2009 - 13:41
If you’ve ever worked in distressed communities, you’ve
faced the dilemma that there simply is no private market for what you want to
see built. You can chip away at the
problem of vacant land with thoughtful affordable housing developments or, if
you’re lucky, a new recreation center but by and large, large amounts of
vacancy remain and impact the psyche of those that live nearby. So working closely with residents, and really
listening, has sparked a whole new sub-discipline in our world of urban
planning and design - temporary use.
The shrinking cities movement shined a light on the potential of ad-hoc reuse and programming some time ago but so too has groups like the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
New $6500 Tax Credit for Homebuyers
The U.S. Senate has approved an extension of the tax credit for 1st time homebuyers, which is set to expire in November. The House could vote on Thursday.
Builder Magazine
Boom in Utah Town
Growth is at a standstill in most western boomtowns, but not in well-planned, thriving South Jordan, UT. An expedited permitting process and good planning are given credit as catalysts for growth.
Desert News
Stimulus Success and Challenges in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico seems to be at the head of the pack in terms of jobs created by the federal stimulus bill. But the news isn't all sunny from the island territory, as the governor moves to slash thousands of public sector jobs.
Christian Science Monitor
U.S. is 9th in List of Most Prosperous Countries
The Legatum Institute, a London think tank, has published a report ranking countries in terms of prosperity. The U.S. took a big hit for health care.
Foreign Policy
Cars and Houses Brought Back the Economy
The economy is up 3.5% in the 3rd quarter, thanks in large part to government subsidies for car and home buying. Otherwise, the impact of the stimulus has been muted, says The Washington Times.
The Washington Times
Sculptures Rise in Iowa, Distract From City's Woes
A Des Moines venture capitalist and his wife have donated a reported $40 million worth of large public sculptures for a sculpture park, part of a significant redevelopment effort by the city.
The New York Times
Gropius Buildings Slated for Demolition
The Friend Convalescent Hospital was the first of Walter Gropius' modernist buildings to be destroyed at Chicago's Michael Reese hospital. Bulldozing began on Wednesday with more still to go.
The Chicago Tribune
German Solar Coming to Denver
SMA Solar Technology AG, the German company responsible for about 40 percent of the world's solar market will be opening a plant in Denver.
The Denver Post
Hurry Up and Wait
NYC's Mayor Bloomberg oversaw the rezoning of thousands of blocks, yet many of the development projects he envisioned as the key to the city's future success are now stalled or in jeopardy.
The New York Times
