History / Preservation

El Paso Streetcars to Symbolize Transnational Ties
The Texas city is moving ahead on plans to refurbish its old trolleys into a 21st-century streetcar system. The aim is to resurrect an old route that traversed the border to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Inside the National Museum of African American History
Sights and scenes from the inside of Washington, D.C.'s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Friday Funny: Onion Satire Pits Preservationists Against Trump's Childhood Home
A totally fake news story from the fake news site The Onion reports the fake news that the National Trust for Historic Preservation is leading an effort to demolish Donald Trump's boyhood home.

Fixation On City Skylines Detracts From City Streets
City life happens at street level. But some of our most iconic images of cities are focused hundreds, or even thousands, of feet in the air. Our streetscapes are the worse off for it.

Brutalism Becoming a Source of Preservation Controversy
Brutalism might not be anybody's idea of beautiful, but that doesn't mean examples of the architectural style aren't beloved by many. As Brutalism comes of age as historic, preservation battles are heating up—especially in Washington, D.C.

Friday Eye Candy: A Mobile App That Provides a Historic Window Into New York
The Urban Archive app will be popular with anyone interested in the history of New York City. Hopefully the idea spreads to other cities soon.

Looking Back at 30 Years of the 'America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places' List
On the 30th anniversary of the annual "America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places," the National Trust for Historic Preservation took a look back at the successes of years past.

What Will Los Angeles Will Do Next On Housing & Water? Look To Their Neighbors
The cities of Santa Monica, Culver CIty, West Hollywood, and Malibu are championing stormwater infrastructure, new public transit, affordable housing, and action on homelessness prevention.

'Citizen Jane' Sets the Battle Lines for the Future of Cities
Coinciding with the 101st anniversary of Jane Jacobs's birth, a documentary film showing in select theaters around the country recounts the history between Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses, and the ideas that forced their struggle.

The 'Jane's Walk' Tradition Continues
In honor of the pioneering urbanist, who would have been 101 years old this week, citizens are organizing "Jane's Walks" in cities across the globe.
A Community Benefits Proposal is Ignored. Is Displacement Far Behind?
A tent city occupation in Atlanta is among several recent actions in cities around the country. Residents fearing displacement at the hands of publicly supported private development are organizing, and running for office, against it.

Historic Anchorage Theatre Inspires State-Level Preservation Support
The Anchorage Historical Commission declared the 4th Avenue Theatre in downtown Anchorage a culturally and historically significant building that needs state protection.

Hidden Racial Tensions in 'Sundown Towns'
Some use the phrase to refer to Midwest towns where black people "aren't welcome after dark." A legacy of racial persecution has left majority-white places where black people feel their outlier status.

New Orleans Begins Removing Monuments to the Confederacy
The city of New Orleans has a plan to remove four monuments to the Confederate States of America, deciding that monuments to the racist cause of the Confederacy belong in a museum, not in the city.

Grand Canyon Development Plans Will Wait Another Year
The Navajo Nation is not moving forward with a controversial plan to build a tram that would connect tourists from the rim of the bottom of the Grand Canyon, along with commercial and retail space. The proposal isn't totally dead yet, however.

Texas State Legislator Targets Historic Preservation for Demolition
A bill under consideration in the Texas House of Representatives would tie the hands of preservationists, making it much easier for building owners to demolish or alter buildings without regard to historic significance.

A First Look at the Alamo's $450 Million Master Plan
The Alamo's 300th birthday is coming up in 2024, and a $450 million project to reimagine the Alamo Plaza aims to make a visit to the historic site a more memorable experience.

Design Activism, Texas-Style
With suburban sprawl a long-standing issue in Texas, one San Antonio-based architecture firm is aiming to strengthen and revitalize its city's downtown core.

A Glimpse Into The Past On The Streets of Long Beach
Viewers installed throughout downtown Long Beach gives visitors a glimpse into the city's past.

D.C. Metro's Recent Controversial Decision: Painting Over Brutalism
Controversy erupted last week in Washington, D.C., after D.C. Metro decided to paint Union Station's vaulted ceilings—a famous icon of the District, it's regional transit system, and the architectural style of Brutalism.
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Custer County Colorado
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