The Solaire, the first residential high-rise to earn “LEED Gold” status, is not just a premier environmentally friendly building—it’s also a big moneymaker.
"Rising from the streets of Lower Manhattan is the Solaire, a pioneering green apartment tower that has lurched to the edge of calamity and back. Located a few blocks from the site of the World Trade Center, only the first story had been built on Sept. 11, 2001 when terror attacks struck. Not long afterwards, development financing fell apart as lenders lost confidence in the viability of the residential market in the shaken neighborhood. Finally, financing in the form of Liberty Bonds--public guarantees for housing and commercial projects in Lower Manhattan--brought the Solaire back to life. And just as its doors opened in 2004, the Manhattan rental market took off to reach new heights, making the residential building a lovely blend of green and gold."
Read the full story: Solaire: A shining beacon of how to build green
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
Mamdani sent nearly 6,000 pied-à-terre tax warnings to homes that didn’t qualify
A judge has ordered the administration to cancel thousands of pied-à-terre tax notices after it sent 35% of them erroneously.
25 states, cities sue the EPA over erased power plant emissions limits
The coalition also intends to sue the EPA for not regulating emissions from gas-fired power plants.
Newsom vetoes giving CA tribes greater voice in water projects
In his veto letter, Newsom said the bill would add ‘uncertainty’ to the state’s fight to secure Californians’ water supplies.
Michigan Senate votes to revise 'lax' dam safety laws
A Bridge Michigan investigation found more than 100,000 Michigan residents live in the floodpath of a high or significant-hazard dam.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello