A historic home built in the 1920s in Fort Lauderdale's Rio Vista neighborhood, unanimously recommended for historic designation by the City's Historic Society in May, is scheduled to be torn down and replaced by a modern home.
As neighbors gathered in front of the Graves estate -- named for former owner and archaeologist Gypsy Graves, founder of a Dania Beach museum that bears her name -- a bulldozer pulled into the circular driveway. "I lived there for 37 years," Kate Graves Gaskill, Gypsy's daughter said, fighting back tears. "I think it's very, very sad because the house is so special." City Commissioners rejected a historic designation in June, with Mayor Jim Naugle casting the sole dissenting vote. Owners immediately applied for a demolition permit, and held a salvage sale. Bargain hunters carter away stained glass windows, decorative columns and wooden floorboards. Neighbors expressed dismay. "A lot of people come in and don't understand the historic significance, said Shelby Brown, 41, who lives next door and grew up playing with the Graves children. "We're fast becoming a neighborhood where every house looks like every other house."
Thanks to Sheryl Stolzenberg
FULL STORY: Graves Estate Doomed
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
Tiny House Villages for Addressing Homelessness: An Interview with Yetimoni Kpeebi
One researcher's perspective on the potential of tiny homes and owner-built housing as one tool to fight the housing crisis.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
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.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research