The Genius of Jane Jacobs, Who Changed the Way We Think About Cities The Genius of Jane Jacobs, Who Changed the Way We Think About Cities
She argued in favor of local wisdom and community visions over the grandiose designs of distant planners.
Jun 8, 2016 / Feature / Roberta Brandes Gratz
Chattanooga Was a Typical Postindustrial City. Then It Began Offering Municipal Broadband. Chattanooga Was a Typical Postindustrial City. Then It Began Offering Municipal Broadband.
Chattanooga’s publicly owned Internet service has helped boost its economy and bridge the digital divide.
Jun 3, 2016 / P.E. Moskowitz
In New Orleans, Criminal Justice Meets Housing Justice In New Orleans, Criminal Justice Meets Housing Justice
When you’re released from jail, you’ve served your time. So why do so many cities still bar the formerly incarcerated from public housing?
May 13, 2016 / Michelle Chen
The Case for Public Housing The Case for Public Housing
The market can’t solve the nation’s affordable housing crisis. The gap between costs and incomes is just too large.
May 6, 2016 / Matthew Gordon Lasner
Making Sense of the Boston Public Schools Walkout Making Sense of the Boston Public Schools Walkout
The Boston Public Schools have been under sustained budget cuts for several years. This year students decided they'd had enough.
May 2, 2016 / StudentNation / Keegan O’Brien
No Plumbing, No Protection: The Story of Milwaukee’s Evicted No Plumbing, No Protection: The Story of Milwaukee’s Evicted
Many of the worst symptoms of American poverty are rooted in the instability brought on by eviction, according to a new book by sociologist Matthew Desmond.
Apr 29, 2016 / Alyssa Katz
The Key to Making Economic Development More Equitable Is Making It More Democratic The Key to Making Economic Development More Equitable Is Making It More Democratic
How Oakland and other cities are experimenting with efforts to make local residents active participants in the development process.
Apr 26, 2016 / K. Sabeel Rahman
Can Neighborhoods Be Revitalized Without Gentrifying Them? Can Neighborhoods Be Revitalized Without Gentrifying Them?
Baltimore’s new housing plan could provide a form of neighborhood uplift that benefits communities, not developers.
Apr 11, 2016 / Michelle Chen
How Banks and Developers Collude to Get Rid of New York’s Affordable Housing How Banks and Developers Collude to Get Rid of New York’s Affordable Housing
Granting huge mortgages on rent-regulated buildings doesn’t make financial sense—unless lenders know buyers will kick out existing tenants.
Apr 5, 2016 / DW Gibson
Private Infrastructure Contracting May Be a Quick Way to Round Up Capital, but Does It Create Lasting Jobs? Private Infrastructure Contracting May Be a Quick Way to Round Up Capital, but Does It Create Lasting Jobs?
To avoid “disaster capitalism,” community organizations need to be deeply involved.
Apr 1, 2016 / Michelle Chen