A collection of historic photos helped this advocate show how urban renewal marred his hometown, and left an inhospitable mess in its wake.
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Great ideas are great, but context determines application.
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A compelling new report, Divided by Design, from Smart Growth America examines the tangled history of highway building and so-called urban renewal in the U.S.
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Why does Erie, PA, keep giving up more and more of its lakefront to highway asphalt?
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For a city to be “antifragile,” to bounce back from disaster and disruption stronger than it was before, it needs to embrace the lessons of healthy ecological systems.
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In the past, urban renewal projects have displaced people and destroyed neighborhoods, yet Portland’s Cully neighborhood aims to launch an urban renewal plan…but this time, in a good way?
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As people interested in undoing damage caused by the rise of the suburban development pattern, how should we feel about so-called “McMain Streets”?
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A visit to a home restaurant in Rovinj, Croatia, shows the kind of small businesses and good urbanism that we could have in the U.S. if we just relaxed our zoning codes.
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From its one-time status as one of America’s most prosperous cities, Hartford, CT, is now one of the poorest—no thanks to its mid-twentieth-century urban renewal projects.
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In the postwar era, North American cities bulldozed whole blocks and neighborhoods for freeways, parking, and urban renewal. Old fire insurance maps can help us piece together what happened.
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The recent remake of a classic video game features an unusual setting—an urban slum—and some surprising real-world insights about how people who have nothing build a place that’s worth something.
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A Youtuber who goes by donoteat01 brilliantly uses the Cities:Skylines video game as a storytelling tool—in this case, to help us understand the ugly human consequences of the postwar urban freeway-building era.
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Tech giant Square has announced that they’re moving to downtown St. Louis, sponsored by some big tax incentives—and they’re putting up the funds to demolishing derelict homes in the adjacent neighborhoods to boot. Is that really the only forward for the Gateway City?
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New York state transportation authorities have the opportunity to correct a historic mistake in Syracuse, by removing an obsolete freeway that tore the city in half decades ago. Will they do the right thing?
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70 years ago, these two historic cities were on a similar path. Then one fell into debt while the other was swimming in money. You might be surprised by what they each look like today.
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The very act of the destruction meant a job for the planners and engineers. They would be paid regardless. If the project was fraught with delays, obstructions and unexpected events they might even be paid more.
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This week, we asked you to help us mourn the effects of urban renewal by sharing photographs of urban renewal sites in your city. We received close to 100 submissions from across North America. Here are some favorites.
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While Jane Jacobs was fighting and winning some battles against Urban Renewal in our cities, many, many more were victims to this hubristic program. My city, Mankato MN, was one of the hardest hit.
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Share photos of urban renewal sites in your community with the hashtag #UsedToBe and tell us what used to be there.
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