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
Turning Old Auto Plants Into Gold
Norwood, Ohio lost 4,000 jobs and gained an empty industrial site back in 1987 when GM left town. "In the long run, it was the best thing that ever happened," says Mayor Tom Williams.
National Real Estate Investor
Will Retail Come Back in 2010?
Experts believe that financing for retail projects may begin flowing early next year, but are concerned that the pool of recipients may be limited, and projects may be conventional.
Retail Traffic Magazine
New London, Four Years After Kelo
The 2005 Supreme Court decision on Kelo v. New London was a landmark in eminent domain law, paving the way for Pfizer to develop there. Four years later, Pfizer is pulling up stakes.
The Hartford Courant
Blakely Blasts New Orleans Recovery Process
A video interview with Ed Blakely, former New Orleans recovery czar, reveals some tensions with the city, its officials, and its people that hindered the recovery process.
New Orleans Times-Picayune
Green Jobs Outlook Not So Rosy
The New England Economic partnership warns that Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's optimism about green jobs may be unrealistic.
The Boston Herald
Bloomberg's Coney Island Dream
NYC has purchased 7 acres of Coney Island from a developer, with the hopes of breathing new life into the People's Playground.
The New York Times
The Green Stadium That Isn't
A critical look at the football stadium proposed for outside Los Angeles, called "green" architecture, but it seems the costs will far outweigh its benefits.
Los Angeles Times
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
