Reviving a city like Detroit requires small steps, writes Roberta Brandes Gratz, who looks at block-level projects in the city.
This article looks at small-scale projects in the city and how these efforts are more effective than large-scale planning.
"A promising group of 10 small brick buildings, varied in color and state of renovation, are thriving here. Indeed, the Michigan and 14th corner and nearby sites offer a classic example of how once thriving cities can be reborn. It's a process that develops block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, initiated by the passion and caring of local residents, in this case mostly young people recently out of college. As often happens, one individual, in this case Phillip Cooley, was the catalyst."
FULL STORY: Rebuilding Detroit the Sane Way — A Block at a Time

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
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