• Converting a shopping mall to a downtown

    Downtown Westminster, Colorado, is designed as a ‘place’ that grows organically with affordable housing included.
    A new downtown is being built for Westminster, Colorado, a suburban city with no previous walkable downtown—on 105-acre former shopping mall site. Downtown Westminster will include 2,300 residential units with substantial affordable housing, and 1.7 million square feet of commercial uses—such as a...Read more

  • Realizing the potential for catalytic conversion

    We've seen how Opportunity Zones can spur multiple developments to provide high-quality low-income housing while transforming communities.
    The Beacon Center, a new faith-based development in the District of Columbia, recently opened with a ceremony marked by one inspiring speech after another. Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser noted how the project “took back a corner,” transforming a crime-ridden pocket of the city into a development...Read more

  • People and placemaking potential of small downtowns

    In the era of "winner take all urbanism," why are many small towns coming back to life—and why might they be good places to invest?
    The New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote an article last week about the civic minded attitude in rural America, and it got me thinking about small-town urbanism, Opportunity Zones , and the placemaking potential outside of metro areas. Brooks writes : Everybody says rural America is...Read more

  • Embrace your local Opportunity Zones

    Even if you are cynical about about how big money will affect low-income communities, the smart move for municipalities and urbanists is to make the most of this big-impact program.
    Many urbanists have skepticism—even cynicism— about Opportunity Zones (OZs). This new federal initiative that was part of the 2017 tax law is still gearing up, but most agree that it will have a big impact on cities. “Given the significant interest among investors, it is possible that this new...Read more