Posted by Kaid Benfield in Curbing Pollution , Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably
Earlier this month I began a series of posts about Indianapolis's Smart Growth Redevelopment District, which I have had the honor of advising. The area in question is a distressed part of the city, two miles northeast of...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably
Habitat for Humanity's East Bay affiliate is retrofitting a brownfield into 54 affordable homes on two acres of land in Oakland, California. With excellent location, walkable density, great design, and green features, the Edes Avenue project is participating...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Living Sustainably
Today I am pleased to present a very good guest post by my friend and frequent collaborator Lee Epstein: Reading Kaid's recent posts on the great value (and sometime dearth) of environmentalists engaging on urban redevelopment issues made me recall...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably
On this Veterans' Day, when we remember those who have served, it is troubling to note that, although veterans make up around 9 percent of our population, they comprise 23 percent of our homeless population and fully a third of...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably
Last week I had the honor of being one of seven smart growth types recruited by the American Institute of Architects to work with the city of Indianapolis and community residents on the model revitalization of a distressed urban neighborhood. ...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably
Last week's post on the architecture of the Make It Right Foundation's new homes in New Orleans brought some thoughtful comments, and it brought even more when I reposted it on another site that I also frequent. ...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably
As I'm sure most readers know, Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation has been constructing houses in New Orleans' Ninth Ward, so that residents who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina can return. That's an undeniably noble endeavor. ...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably
Following up on yesterday's post, Hank Dittmar of The Prince's Foundation sent three new photos that were taken earlier this week in Rose Town, Jamaica. Together they capture some of the progress and pride that the project is engendering. The first is...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably
A great story is emerging in Rose Town, Jamaica, a community in the process of being reborn with the help of HRH the Prince of Wales and The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment. My very favorite...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Living Sustainably , Solving Global Warming
There has been a lot written about how federal stimulus money has not done as much as one might hope for existing urban communities. By contrast, quite a bit of the money has instead been slated for highway projects. A shining exception,...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Living Sustainably
Can a Walmart anchor transit-oriented revitalization? Charlotte city council member Nancy Carter seems to think so. From News 14 Carolina's web site: "Soon, the boarded-up store fronts and run-down parking lots that make up the mostly vacant Amity...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably
Every summer, Boston's Asian Community Development Corporation has been hosting an informal grassroots Asian film festival in a vacant lot near the city's Chinatown Gate. The final night this year (above) was held in the nearby Chinatown Park. As...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably
A major challenge that has come with sprawl over the last half-century has been that growing up, maturing, and growing older has required, more often than not, moving to a new community at each new stage. This is largely because...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably , Solving Global Warming
I want to do a new series of occasional posts on greening the urban density that we need for sustainable growth. And I can think of no better way to kick it off than with this 5-minute video featuring my...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably
Hey, Washington Post, it's good news and another sign that cities are back when crime rates drop. As the news outlet of record for a major city and metropolitan area, you'd think they would get that. But, instead of reporting...
