Artists tend to flock to big cities where their art can be bought and appreciated, but economic hard times are sending artists fleeing towards cheaper rents on homes and studio space.
Earlier this year, The Nation uncovered that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holds people in 186 under-the-radar "subfield offices," which the less generous might call "secret immigration detention centers."
This piece from <em>Utne Reader</em> looks at the role of architecture in the public works projects of Medellin, Colombia, a city that has struggled with severe crime.
This piece from <em>Utne Reader</em> looks at Ecuador's recent extension of inalienable rights to nature and why other countries should follow this lead.
Amid the citywide blight of Detroit is the City Airport neighborhood -- rife with crime and virtually deserted by residents. But now former residents have begun to write and blog about the neighborhood, its better times and its possible futures.
<p>New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles are usually regarded as hotbeds for homosexuals. But five unlikely cities -- in places such as Texas, Oklahoma and Alaska -- show that more gay-friendly cities are coming out of the woodwork.</p>
<p>Public libraries are increasingly being called upon to provide disaster services and support for those chronically in need, such as the homeless and seniors, yet their budgets continue to be cut.</p>
<p>A growing number of exclusive gated communities in remote areas, dubbed "The New Ruralism", is raising eyebrows among planners, environmentalists, and local residents.</p>
