Kia Gregory reports on a mural program implemented in the West Philadelphia neighborhood of Mantua over the last year, that has transformed the area into a work of art.
While many of the problems (drug dealing, violence) that afflict the neighborhood have not gone away entirely, the recent mural project, which ended in January of this year, has brought hope, new residents, and the rumblings of redevelopment to the area.
Led by the Mural Arts Program, the largest public art program in the United States, the project in Mantua featured the brightly colored painting of houses in the neighborhood, the clean-up of trash-covered lots, and the conversion of a former drug house into an "art house".
During the project, "Dozens of youths worked alongside the artists and were linked to social services, with some moving from shelters into permanent housing. The art house also served as an information hub for housing, legal aid, health care, and employment," writes Gregory.
The project galvanized the local neighborhood, changing its image both to outsiders and to itself. "Such efforts create 'a subtle shift,' said Jane Golden, executive director of the Mural Arts Program, 'as people start really seeing their neighborhood not as a forgotten place. They talk about it in terms of its potential.'"
FULL STORY: Mural program brings a tinge of hope to Mantua

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.

How Smart Street Lights Can Help Cities Achieve Sustainability Goals
Switching to energy-efficient LEDs and using tech to program when and how street lighting operates can save cities millions in electricity expenses and bring down carbon emissions.

NOAA: Southwest ‘Megadrought’ to Persist
Roughly 40 percent of the 48 lower U.S. states are currently in some state of ‘abnormally dry conditions.’

Jersey City Program Offers Battery Swaps for Electric Bikes and Scooters
Residents can swap depleted batteries for fully charged ones as well as charge and park their devices at two pilot sites.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Florida Atlantic University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Piedmont, CA
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland