With over 250 blocks totally rebuilt by work crews over the past five years, Washington, D.C. is in the middle of a major urban facelift. What streets are slated for upgrades, and what public spaces are planners overlooking?
Housing and Economy in McGregor, South Africa
How can a picturesque South African village still deeply divided by the legacy of apartheid accomodate much-needed government housing without ruining their tourist economy? How can the town create economic integration to lift their citizens out of poverty? While I’ve written extensively on other aspects of my month-long trip to South Africa last summer, up till now I have not reported on the planning project we tackled. Read on for the answers we found.
The West Hyattsville Enigma
Less than one mile from the District of Columbia stands acres of vacant land. Wildflowers and grasses have gone to seed on a long-abandoned playing field (above). Weeds sprout in a dry, sun-drenched lot (below). An abandoned warehouse sits on land abutting picturesque parkland. Although large lots of undeveloped land inside the beltway are rare […]
Building a Community with Bits and Backhoes
As you read this, heavy construction crews are hard at work grading roads, laying infrastructure, and preparing to build homes and offices in Austin, Texas’s newest neighborhood. Located on the former site of the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport (which closed in 1999), the 711 acre Mueller redevelopment project will be larger in size than either […]
What’s Needed: Community Vacant Property Database
Like many U.S. cities, vacant properties are a stubborn problem that continues to plague the District. The city’s official list has over 2,000 properties listed, and it seems likely the actual number is much higher. An article in today’s Examiner describes how these properties can impact neighborhoods. Despite high demand for both housing and retail, […]
Who Wants to Live in Pabst City?
Soon, Pabst-loving hipsters will be able to live in the buildings where the beer they saved was once brewed. Founded in Milwaukee in 1844, the Pabst Brewing Company’s flagship beer earned its name during the 1893 Columbian World’s Exposition in Chicago, where it was awarded the blue ribbon as America’s best beer. However, economic realities […]
Fixing American Cities, the 21st Century Way
I just posted my monthly blog post to Planetizen. Here’s part: After the dramatic collapse of the Minneapolis freeway bridge last week, the collective hand-wringing began. The bridge was known to be faulty, but had not been replaced. Our entire public transit system is underfunded, we were told. In addition to transportation infrastructure, those concerned […]