A pair of articles mine the films nominated for Academy Award for lessons in design and development that could potentially benefit housing equality.

Carolina Miranda writes for the Los Angeles Times and Jenny Schuetz for Brookings, both riffing on the subject of the built environment in films nominated this year for Academy Awards.
Miranda tackles the entire crop of Best Picture nominations, starting with the "Minimalist manse inhabited by the well-to-do Park family in Bong Joon Ho’s [eventual winner] 'Parasite.'" Written before that film swept its way to a resounding and record-breaking evening, Miranda finds a common theme in each film's use of architecture to tell its story: "Taken collectively, however, the best-picture nominees deploy architecture in ways that tell compelling stories about the ways in which the poor and the wealthy divide."
Schuetz's article hones in on "Little Women" for lessons in housing development, from Schuetz's well documented pro-development perspective. So, in Schuetz's view, the lessons of the houses in the film read as follows: 1) Middle-Class Homes Do Not Drag Down Property Values of Nearby Mansions, 2) Waiving Quality Standard Allows Low-Income Families to Live in Expensive Communities, and 3) Bring Back the Urban Boarding House!
FULL STORY: How the Oscars’ best-picture nominees used architecture to tell stories of inequity

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.

San Diego Swaps Parking Lane for Kid-Friendly Mini Park
The block-long greenway will feature interactive play equipment and landscaping.

Tracking the Invisible: Methane Leaks From LA’s Neighborhood Oil Sites
Environmental advocates are using infrared technology to monitor and document methane leaks from neighborhood oil sites, filling regulatory gaps and pushing for stronger protections to safeguard community health and the climate.

Montana Bill Promotes Parking Reform
A bill before the Montana state senate would bar cities from requiring more than one parking spot per new housing unit.
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