• 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

  • Melrose Commons

    A Bronx neighborhood rises from the ashes
    Famed sportscaster Howard Cosell, covering the 1977 World Series, remarked to the nation from Yankee Stadium as a helicopter showed aerial video of smoldering buildings: "There it is, ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is burning." At the heart of that fire was a South Bronx area called Melrose—less...Read more