• Martin Luther King Plaza

    The neighborhood model of public housing
    The Hawthorne neighborhood in Philadelphia has come back to life—catalyzed by Martin Luther King Plaza, the redevelopment of a former high-rise public housing project. "The area is more comfortable. It's beautiful because everyone is trying to get along and everything,” long-time resident Tom...Read more

  • Southside

    Ten acres that transformed a city
    In the mid-1990s, downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, was lifeless: "There were no white table restaurants, nothing happened after five o'clock, and all of the retail had moved out," says Andy Scott, the city economic development director.” When the city purchased properties and sought a private...Read more

  • Birmingham, Michigan, downtown revival

    A small city embraces walkability and reverses decline
    After three decades of 20th century population loss and commercial decline, Birmingham, Michigan, committed to building a new identity: “The Walkable Community.” Now, thanks to forward-thinking planning across multiple sectors, the city has grown steadily since the turn of the millennium—even in...Read more

  • Larkin Square

    A former industrial superblock pumps life into the city
    Over the past decade, the Larkin District in Buffalo, New York, has evolved from an abandoned industrial site to a thriving, mixed-use urban district that is spurring revitalization for blocks in every direction. Anchored by the headquarters of the First Niagara Bank, more than 2,000 people work in...Read more