Community / Economic Development
Introducing The Low Line
Under New York's Delancey Street lurks 60,000 square feet of vaulted ceilings and cobbled streets, sitting unappreciated in the dark. A group of entrepreneurs have plans to create a subterranean park there.
One Southland Big Box Gets Beautified
As a compromise for its presence in the community, mall developers on behalf of residents got one Costco's plans to be redrawn to look less like a, well, Costco. Rosanna Xia reports on the process.
The Secret to More Jobs isn't Home Creation, its Rehabilitation
Emily Badger of The Atlantic Cities explores the economic and environmental advantages of refurbishing old buildings over constructing new ones.
Sustainability and Affordability Don't Always Go Hand in Hand
Op-ed columnist Andrew Ross notes that while some progressive cities are being lauded for sustainable, green design, most American cities struggle to achieve sustainable results that are available to all residents.
Cities Turn To The Arts To Make Great Places
ArtPlace America has issued a landmark series of grants dedicated to supporting the 'creative class' and enhance communities through the arts. Organizations in California snagged eight of thirty-four grants nationwide.
Kite Photography as Community Engagement
Attach a digital camera to a balloon or kite, and what do you get? An easy tool for public participation in land use decisions, says Eymund Diegel of the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science.
Art As Urban Change Agent
Elizabeth Currid-Halkett examins the viability of arts driven urban revitalization and finds that the strongest predictor of success is the nature of the art being produced and exhibited in the neighborhood.
Grim Figures for Areas of Concentrated Poverty
A new Brookings Institution report shows that places of concentrated poverty are getting worse due to unsustained growth nationwide and the suburbanization of poverty. Authors Elizabeth Kneebone and Alan Berube expound on the findings.
Preserving Brooklyn's Industrial Heritage on its Waterfronts
While the rest of the city's waterfronts are to be developed as public promenades, much of Brooklyn wants to retain its previous industrial uses. Liana Grey reports.
The Irrationality Of Federal Infrastructure Spending
Charles Marohn believes that the way the US manages its infrastructure spending is problematic He finds that the lack of federal support for maintenance leads states to irrationally prioritize new projects over repairing old.
The Plusses and Minuses of the Cleveland Casino
Richey Piiparinen weighs the good and bad aspects of a proposed casino which the developer says will be "integrated within the fabric" of Cleveland's downtown.
Planting Parks to Remedy Blight
"Redfields to Greenfields," a project currently being developed at Georgia Tech in partnership with City Parks Alliance advocacy group, would convert empty commercial sites into parks, writes Nate Berg for The Atlantic Cities.
New Football Stadium in Los Angeles Faces Opposition
The Mayor has proposed a $1.5 billion plan to build a football stadium, named Farmers Field in L.A.'s downtown with the goal of boosting the region's overall economy.
A New Light for Motor City
How grassroots entrepreneurs and inspired religious leaders are working to erase urban blight in Detroit.
Kansas City Businesses Invest in the Arts, Hoping to Stir Success
With little taxpayer investment, a dynamic Moshe Safdie-designed Center for the Performing Arts has arisen in Kansas City. Hampton Stevens says that the companies are betting on the power of the arts to attract investment and attention.
"Urbanized" Seeks To Chart The Future Of Planning
A.O. Scott reviews the final installment of Gary Hustwit's design trilogy, "Urbanized," and concludes that even those with a deep knowledge of urban planning are likely to learn something from the carefully selected images and interviews.
Lever House Closes Temporarily To Protect Its Owners From "Adverse Possesion"
In an another nuance of the ownership laws that govern New York's parks and plazas, the modernist masterpiece Lever House will close today to keep its plaza privately public.
Can Cincinnati Create a Truly Urban Casino?
With its first casino currently under construction, Cincinnati is attempting to redefine the stereotype with a consciously urban design that turns the typical casino inside-out.
Majority of Buffalo's Poor Live in Suburbs
Buffalo reporters Maki Becker and Jay Rey look at a Brookings Institution report that reveals the majority of locals living below the poverty line live in the Erie and Niagara county suburbs.
Camden Employers Incentivizing Middle-Class Homeownership
Last week, local officials announced that the troubled city's largest employers, including three hospitals and a university, will begin offering incentives to lure workers into buying homes in the area. Geoff Mulvihill reports.
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