Downtown Anchorage has languished for decades from the lack of redevelopment. Mayor Ethan Berkowitz seeks to reinvigorate the downtown core with new housing and other development opportunities. Most of the new growth has gone to Midtown area.
Alaska Dispatch News reporter Devin Kelly writes about the myriad challenges of developing in Alaska's largest city, citing higher than average construction costs and a shorter construction season, among other reasons. In addition, state highways running through the heart of downtown and along its eastern edge creating a less than desirable urban atmosphere for pedestrians, bicyclists, and thousands of tourists who visit during the summer season.
Mayor Ethan Berkowitz took office in July 2015 and campaigned on an platform to revitalize downtown. Since that time city officials and private stakeholders have embraced the goal of bringing housing to downtown Anchorage as well as improving urban amenities. Working with Smart Growth America (SGA), a national non-profit based in Washington, D.C., the Berkowitz administration has crafted a strategy to start with "a few really good blocks."
"One rule of thumb is to achieve a minimum 2- to 4-block sequence that is continuously engaging people walking along the sidewalk," wrote Smart Growth America consultants Chris Zimmerman and Alex Hutchinson in the report produced last year.
"Like the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle or the East Village in New York City, the consultants suggested homing in on a small target area that now has parking lots. Anchorage could start with its own land to gauge developer interest," explains Kelly. "The city, under that theory, would have more control over its own land."
FULL STORY: How Anchorage is trying to kickstart construction on empty land downtown
An Ambitious Revitalization Agenda for Downtown Anchorage
A new mayoral administration in Anchorage has its sights set on a revitalized urban core, but one local researcher has suggestions for how to expand that vision.
Proposed Megaproject the Latest to Redefine Los Angeles' Core
A proposed $2 billion megaproject would expand the footprint of the ongoing reinvention of Downtown Los Angeles and its surrounding neighborhoods.
Massive Waterfront Investment 'Reinvents' Tampa
After decades of planning, the city hopes several huge developments will draw millenials and empty-nesters.
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.
Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.
California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.
HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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