A Drive Through “the Ugliest Place in Maryland”: Part 2

Our drive continues through the area once called “the ugliest place in Maryland.” When you look around, though, you can find the building blocks for an urban transformation in these suburbs.

Neighborhood Design, Neighborhoods, Top StoryAddison Del MastroOctober 29, 2021Addison Del Mastro, urbanism, Maryland, Washington DC, photos, neighborhood, traditional neighborhood design, Neighborhood Design, Neighborhoods

A Drive Through “the Ugliest Place in Maryland”: Part 1

Let’s take a drive down Rockville Pike, a major thoroughfare near DC. What kinds of development patterns will we find as we pass through each ring of suburbia?

Neighborhood Design, Neighborhoods, Top StoryAddison Del MastroOctober 28, 2021Addison Del Mastro, urbanism, Maryland, Washington DC, photos, neighborhood, traditional neighborhood design, Neighborhood Design, Neighborhoods

Everyone Shops at Walmart. But What If We Didn’t Have To?

What are some of the hidden things we can’t see because we’re blinded by three generations of the Suburban Experiment?

Member Post, Big Box Stores, Neighborhoods, Suburban Experiment, Top StoryPatrick QuigleySeptember 30, 2021big box stores, big box, Entrepreneurship, Walmart, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, business, small business, local business

Is it 2021 or 1961 at America's DOTs?

Here’s a roundup of five highway boondoggles that are threatening neighborhoods right now in the U.S. Think of it as a hall of shame.

My Family's Kansas City Story

One family’s history tells volumes about the development of Kansas City since the 1950s.

Davis, Neighborhoods, Race, Urban3, Top StorySarah DavisSeptember 15, 2021Kansas City, Kansas, redlining, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, highways, history, History, race, Race, race relations, Urban3, freeways

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Connecting Neighbors and Harnessing the Power of Fun

Cate Ryba is Chief Operating Officer at Urban3, as well as a former city councilor, dog park creator, neighborhood revitalizer and fun run founder.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Neighborhoods, Urban3, Local Government, Top StoryStrong TownsSeptember 2, 2021Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Urban3, local government, city council, community

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Paying Attention to Your City

Tiffany Owens is helping people open their eyes, put down their phones, and truly see their cities.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Neighborhoods, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 26, 2021Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, faith communities

Assessment Inequities Hurt Black Households

If we want to live in a free and equitable society where everyone has the potential to succeed and experience prosperity, we have to understand where the inequities begin.

Neighborhoods, Race, Top StorySarah DavisAugust 25, 2021race, Buncombe County series, North Carolina, Assessments, housing, property tax

What To Do When Your City Won't Listen to Reason

When you’re a change-maker, there’ll be times when you’ll feel like you’re losing your mojo. Here’s how to get back on your feet to keep making your city or town a stronger place.

Community, Member Post, Neighborhoods, Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodAugust 24, 2021advocacy, canada, Winnipeg, neighborhood, city council, community

Is This the Future of Civic Engagement?

Cleveland’s “richest poor neighborhood” is empowering its neighbors to help each other.

#StrongCitizens, Community, Herriges, Neighborhoods, Success Story, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesAugust 18, 2021Cleveland, community, community building, Community, community development, poor neighborhoods, success, success stories

The Taco Truck and the Thrift Store

We glorify our country’s rough-and-tumble entrepreneurial history, yet we often look down on people who embody it today, and on the commercial landscapes that result.

#ChaoticButSmart, Big Box Stores, Neighborhoods, Race, Top StoryAddison Del MastroAugust 17, 2021Addison Del Mastro, retail, Maryland, Washington DC, big box, big box stores, poor neighborhoods, Chaotic but Smart

Is It Worth Planting Flowers Here?

Is it worth investing in something that (seemingly) has no practical function? If we want to strengthen our neighborhoods, sometimes the answer is “yes.”

Quednau, Neighborhoods, Top StoryRachel QuednauAugust 17, 2021revitalization, neighborhood revitalization, gardening

Living Like Perennials

The instrumentalizing of our relationship with place has left us only practicing stewardship when we benefit from it. But it's our responsibility to live with an attitude of longevity.

Maintenance, Neighborhoods, Top StoryGrace OlmsteadAugust 6, 2021gardening, Gracy Olmstead, neighborliness, maintenance

Bad Benches (and Other Park Problems)

Some misguided attempts to enhance the local park in Brainerd, MN, has actually made it a worse place to be.

Podcast, #PlaceIDontWanttoSit, Community, Neighborhoods, Public Space, Urban Design, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 2, 2021Podcast, neighborhood, Parks, parks, urban design, public space

The Only Constant in Life is Construction (and That’s a Problem)

It’s no wonder that some people oppose new housing when the housing and infrastructure projects they see are disruptive construction work that drags on for years.

Housing, Incrementalism, Neighborhoods, Top StoryAddison Del MastroJuly 30, 2021construction, NIMBY, YIMBY, housing, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, Neighborhoods

Stop Believing in "Bad" Neighborhoods

We must stop seeing poor neighborhoods as "bad" neighborhoods, and instead understand them as intrinsically goods ones, whose problems are addressable if we empowered the people who care about them.

Herriges, Neighborhoods, Suburban Experiment, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJuly 28, 2021Neighborhoods, poor neighborhoods, public investment, poverty, suburban experiment

Kansas City Residents Demand Safer Streets

The 85th percentile rule makes it hard to ensure safe streets, so residents of northeast Kansas City took matters into their own hands.

Anywhere Can Be Somewhere (and Other Walking Lessons)

When it comes to creating strong neighborhoods, there are some valuable lessons to be had from slowing down the pace and seeking novelty in the ordinary.