Affordable apartments near reliable public transportation aren’t always easy to find. Sound Transit, Puget Sound’s transportation authority, is working on a light rail expansion and will work with local agencies to fill many pieces of leftover land with affordable housing.
Eight bayous will be connected through the $220 million Bayou Greenways 2020 project.
Argentina’s capital hopes to revitalize 145 acres of its riverfront by establishing a ‘Youth District,’ a proposed recreational area that will—as part of rezoning—feature private bars, restaurants and clubs. Critics argue that the plan is socially exclusive and commercial, and poses an environmental risk. Some activists worry the project will make the area more prone to flooding, which is a regular occurrence in Buenos Aires—last spring, flash floods caused the evacuation of hundreds of residents.
Detroit’s Office of Sustainability, which focuses on community engagement, has designed a digital map for residents to create and support location-based comments that point out what they like, and what they do not. The Office also attend community meetings and has appointed 14 sustainability ambassadors.
With the High Line’s newest section, the Spur, set to open in April, final work is being done on this offshoot before it officially opens. The plaza offers remarkable views of the city in all four directions and will feature the Plinth, a space for showing monumental works of art.
As the magnitude of climate challenges increases, communities need to continue to experiment with new approaches and proactively invest in more resilient stormwater infrastructure. If community leaders and infrastructure decision makers demonstrate—and communicate—the value of these investments, they may find it easier to pilot alternative projects and realize broader community benefits.
Several proposals in Atlanta suggest building greenery covers over sections of interstates—dubbed “hanging gardens,” or most frequently, “deck parks.” More than 30 cities in the US are seriously considering developing deck parks to meet growing demand for green space and walkability in urban areas.
Minneapolis is starting to see an influx of solar panel installations in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. This is an early result of a new program, “green zones,” which targets investments in these areas without displacing existing residents and businesses.
The Trust for Public Land will sell 4.5 acres of land at the westernmost end of the 606 to the City of Chicago to build an 100% affordable housing project and a public park.
A new study published in the journal Social Science Research finds that people in the United States report greater levels of happiness in states that spend more money on public goods such as parks, libraries, infrastructure, and public safety. The author, Patrick Flavin, notes that the happiness boost from public-goods spending is roughly the same across a wide range of demographic variables: race, income, education, etc. suggesting public spending on categories accessible to everyone has an effect on the well-being of everyone.
