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The million-dollar neighborhood
Walkable mixed-use neighborhoods help families build wealth—enough to help fund big-ticket items like college and retirement.Houses appreciate. Cars depreciate. That simple contrast is a key to building wealth over a lifetime, writes Todd Litman, a researcher with the Victoria Transport Policy Institute. Even though housing is more expensive in walkable, transit-rich neighborhoods, vehicle costs are substantially lower...Read more -
Why urban freeway expansion is futile
Outdated software and modeling overestimates the value of urban freeway expansions—and underestimates the effectiveness of alternatives like boulevards.Everyone hates freeway traffic congestion. Highway engineers promise to fix this problem by widening freeways and building new ones. For the past 80 years, engineers have been promising that the next round of freeway expansion will solve the problems. This has never worked. A few of the many...Read more -
Great idea: Public housing that engages the city
Public housing in the form of complete or partial neighborhoods started with HOPE VI and became standard practice, impacting the lives of people in cities and towns across America.In celebration of the 25th Congress for the New Urbanism, Public Square is running the series 25 Great Ideas of the New Urbanism . These ideas have been shaped by new urbanists and continue to influence cities, towns, and suburbs. The series is meant to inspire and challenge those working toward...Read more -
Gentrification examined from a wider time frame
Your view on the urban investment of today may depend on where you crop the storyline.They may not be new but I was recently introduced to a series of comics by English artist Grayson Perry taking on the world of creative arts, particularly one entitled “Gentrification.” The tale is familiar. Old industry fades, artists take possession of the infrastructure, ragtag commerce blossoms...Read more