History / Preservation

Austin Interstate Expansion Plan Draws Opposition
A proposal to widen I-35 has drawn criticism from community members who want to see the city shift away from car-centric development.

Boosting the Signal on East Austin's African American Cultural Heritage District
The city of Austin formally designated the African American Cultural Heritage District in 2007, but recently decided to focus new planning and economic development energy to reaffirm the district's significance in the community.

What Is Historic Preservation?
Historic preservation is a controversial, highly contested cause, with a long history of failures and successes in the United States.

Memphis Targets Adaptive Reuse of Historic School for Neighborhood Benefits
A plan to rehabilitate the vacant former location of Melrose High School in Memphis' Orange Mound neighborhood "recalls many other recent initiatives aimed at elevating and investing in Black urban history."

The History of Federal Infrastructure Funding: As Determined by the Founding Fathers
The ability of the federal government to fund, and define, infrastructure, owes itself to a history of state and federal leadership at the dawn of the nation's existence.

Neighborhood Rezoning Proposal at Odds With Philadelphia's Comprehensive Plan
While planning departments around the country make news for removing exclusionary zoning and parking requirements, many neighborhoods still show a strong preference for parking minimums and development limits. Case in point: Germantown, Philadelphia.

Detroit Residents Find it Hard to Access Land Bank Properties
Longtime residents say the city is not fulfilling its goal of keeping vacant parcels in the hands of locals as property values rise steeply.

The Long Road to Portland's Historic Residential Infill Project
How the journey of one zoning reform campaign can inform future efforts.

Looking Beyond the 'Sidewalk Ballet:' Jane Jacobs in the 21st Century
While The Death and Life of Great American Cities remains an urban planning classic, today's planners must contend with challenges that Jacobs couldn't have anticipated.

Why Infrastructure Spending Should Center Equity
To begin to reverse decades of discrimination and disinvestment, future infrastructure spending must put equity at the forefront.

How Cities Can Manage Drought Risk and Conserve Water
As climate change and population growth strain fresh water resources, tactics from around the world provide universal lessons for building water-smart cities.

How Downtown Public Space Investments Impact Equity
Efforts to revitalize declining downtowns have, in some cases, become catalysts for supporting small, minority-owned, local businesses.

Lake Powell's Houseboat Launches Running Dry
Record low water levels are sinking Lake Powell's houseboat industry as climate change threatens water supplies in the West.

Mapping Informal Neighborhoods
New mapping tools are helping cities around the world map and understand their poorest communities.

How Extreme Heat Threatens the Electrical Grid
Higher demand for electricity and lower capacity for production due to more intense heat waves are straining the power grid and causing concern for future energy production.

El Paso Streetcar Returns With Free Fares
The historic streetcars will connect uptown and downtown amenities in a 4.8-mile loop.

Redlined Neighborhoods Suffer More From Extreme Heat
The recent heat wave in the Pacific Northwest highlighted how historical inequities still affect the health and well-being of low-income and marginalized communities.

More Western Cities Approve ADUs to Help Relieve Housing Crisis
Proponents of 'granny flats' say they can alleviate housing shortages and help families keep their homes, but others worry that the programs don't do enough to target low- and middle-income property owners.

Flood Buyouts Exacerbate Inequality in Harris County, Texas
New research shows that less affluent households disperse farther to find affordable homes, leading to a loss of community and social capital.

What Is Urban Renewal?
Ostensibly intended to improve "blighted" neighborhoods and provide better housing conditions, urban renewal often involved displacement and the wholesale destruction of urban communities.
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Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont