Using Milan as a model, Inverness, Scotland has lofty plans for its Old Town. To achieve them, asserts one local historian, the city must get creative--and more optimistic--in meetings its challenges.
"The aim is laudable - to create an attractive, pedestrian-friendly environment and boost trade in an area struggling to attract shoppers from the Eastgate Centre and out of town stores - and hopefully the end result will be worth all the inconvenience."
"On the face of it her choice of Milan as a model to follow is somewhat fanciful. After all, Milan is a much larger and wealthier city, is looking forward to hosting a world event in Expo 2015 and has architectural riches such as the magnificent Duomo.
But that also means the problems it has had to overcome were of a much bigger scale. Excluding traffic from Inverness's Union Street, Queensgate and Church Street would be a simple task compared with denying vehicular entry to central Milan to the car-loving Milanesi. Yet with determination and vision, this was accomplished and the north Italian city is now reaping the rewards."
FULL STORY: Desperate need for big ideas
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Opinion: Cities Must Take Action on Blighted Downtown Parking Lots
Surface parking lots take up as much as a third of downtown land in some cities, dragging down tax revenue and redevelopment prospects.
Des Moines Plans to Repurpose Downtown Parking Lots
City officials want to encourage the redevelopment of underused surface parking lots.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
DC Bikeshare System Breaks Ridership Record
Capital Bikeshare users took over 20,000 rides on one day in March.
EV Infrastructure Booming in Suburbs, Cities Lag Behind
A lack of access to charging infrastructure is holding back EV adoption in many US cities.
Seattle Road Safety Advocates Say Transportation Levy Perpetuates Car-Centric Status Quo
Critics of a proposed $1.3 billion transportation levy say the package isn’t enough to keep up with inflation and rising costs and fails to support a shift away from car-oriented infrastructure.
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