Small efforts, rather than grand gestures, can help a community improve the city in tiny increments.
"...The wedges of pavement squeezed along a highway on-ramp, the slips of unkempt grass, uncovered and then forgotten when one building replaced another, have become a rallying point...
[Everyday urbanism] is a non-utopian, non-idealistic, bottom-up approach to city-building that emphasizes small efforts over grand gestures. It lets people in a community give shape to its design. And it seeks to make cities, and the lives lived within them, better in tiny increments, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, rather than through attempts at cure-alls.
...It's a space left, literally, in between, uncared for and unclaimed. It is also the kind of site that, with a little creative ingenuity and political will, could quickly relinquish its position among the endless examples of small-scale blight, and instead offer hope.
Tiny gestures, everyday urbanism says, make a difference."
FULL STORY: The plight of the orphan space
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?
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.
Greening Oakland’s School Grounds
With help from community partners like the Trust for Public Land, Oakland Unified School District is turning barren, asphalt-covered schoolyards into vibrant, green spaces that support outdoor learning, play, and student well-being.
California Governor Suspends CEQA Reviews for Utilities in Fire Areas
Utility restoration efforts in areas affected by the January wildfires in Los Angeles will be exempt from environmental regulations to speed up the rebuilding of essential infrastructure.
Native American Communities Prepare to Lead on Environmental Stewardship
In the face of federal threats to public lands and conservation efforts, indigenous groups continue to model nature-centered conservation efforts.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland