The Urban Theory Thread

onecity · PostSep 16, 2014#3012014-09-16T17:13+00:00

GENTRIFICATION, INC.

REAL-ESTATE DEVELOPER JAMESTOWN HAS PERFECTED THE ART OF CREATING THE NEXT HOT NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS IS ITS FORMULA--AND WHERE YOU FIT IN.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3033870/gentrification-inc

In New York City, parties like Mister Sunday, along with upscale flea markets, artisanal food events like Smorgasburg, and art events have long signaled the coming wave of gentrification to once-crumbling industrial backwaters like Williamsburg, Bushwick, Long Island City, Gowanus, and now, Sunset Park. A hip, young set willing to push the boundaries into once-unloved neighborhoods in search of bigger spaces, creative freedom, and ultimately cheaper rent is always part of the equation of gentrification. But so are the savvy real-estate developers who follow their every move, ready to pour accelerant on the process.

So, it would be really fascinating to see exactly what would happen if this approach were taken in the area around Fountain Park. Could it spark the needed north side wave of gentrification?

JuanHamez · PostSep 18, 2014#3022014-09-18T01:26+00:00

Good article on Portland recently:

Will Portland Always Be a Retirement Community for the Young?
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/magaz ... .html?_r=1

Portland has taken hold of the cultural imagination as, to borrow the tag line from “Portlandia,” the place where young people go to retire. And for good reason: The city has nearly all the perks that economists suggest lead to a high quality of life — coastlines, mountains, mild winters and summers, restaurants, cultural institutions and clean air. (Fortunately, college-educated people don’t value sunshine as much as they used to.) Portland also has qualities that are less tangible but still likely to attract young people these days, like a politically open culture that supports gay rights and the legalization of marijuana — in addition to the right of way for unicyclists or the ability to marry in a 24/7 doughnut shop.

PostSep 29, 2014#3032014-09-29T20:59+00:00

http://recode.net/2014/09/29/downtown-l ... techtopia/

Tony Hsieh, the charismatic founder of Zappos.com, invested $350 million into turning Las Vegas into a startup. Buying 30 acres, setting up his own school, his own hospital, his own venture fund and restaurants, Hsieh is creating an innovation city in his own image. It is strange. And it is struggling. But it's the most ambitious experiment in building a 21st century utopian city in the U.S.

Ebsy · PostSep 29, 2014#3042014-09-29T21:54+00:00

I am not sure I would have built it in a region that will soon run out of drinking water.

i,Iive,to,draw · PostOct 17, 2014#3052014-10-17T00:32+00:00

The Conservative case against the suburbs

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/ ... e-suburbs/

Ebsy · PostOct 17, 2014#3062014-10-17T02:56+00:00

i,Iive,to,draw wrote:The Conservative case against the suburbs

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/ ... e-suburbs/

Interesting points, though I don't necessarily agree that a liberal minority is lording over the conservative majority. If anything, the concentration of liberals in urban centers has actually weakened liberals quite a bit. How else could a majority of people vote for Democrats in congressional contests, and yet the Republicans maintain a sizable majority?

quincunx · PostOct 26, 2014#3072014-10-26T19:47+00:00

MINNPost - Can the Met Council be tamed?

http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy ... l-be-tamed

dweebe · PostOct 27, 2014#3082014-10-27T21:20+00:00

Interesting article about Los Angeles' Skid Row. (The area: not the bad 80's/90's hair metal band.)

http://www.npr.org/2014/10/26/359112842 ... x-skid-row

quincunx · PostOct 28, 2014#3092014-10-28T01:21+00:00

Joe Minicozzi at Memphis Boot Camp - How We Measure the City

dbInSouthCity · PostNov 04, 2014#3102014-11-04T16:31+00:00

Fun with Google Charts

roger wyoming II · PostNov 09, 2014#3112014-11-09T16:42+00:00

I haven't been to Atlanta in a few years but its pace of growth throughout the region, including in its core, is hard to imagine. From an article on the booming intown apartment scene:

A multitude of factors are driving intown apartment demand. Most importantly, metro Atlanta recorded a third consecutive year of job growth in 2013 and has added 138,000 jobs since 2011. Many of these jobs are being created in the urban core, where almost 700,000 square feet of office space was absorbed in the first half of 2014, according to Jones Lang LaSalle. The region's population grew by nearly 240,000 people from 2010 to 2013, or an annual rate of 1.5 percent, which is a slower pace than the previous decade, but still stronger than the national average.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/real ... ll-no.html

Intown Atlanta obviously is benefiting from the national macro trend of increased interest in urban living and is juiced by impressive regional population growth. Which leads me to a question.... anyone know if there is any research/data out there on how much of a region's population growth can be expected to be captured within the core during this era of renewed interest in the core? No doubt some cities outperform others in this regard, but I'm curious how wide the expected range may be with larger metros.

quincunx · PostNov 11, 2014#3122014-11-11T02:04+00:00

Connor Barwin Philadelphia linebacker and urbanist.

PostNov 21, 2014#3132014-11-21T22:07+00:00

Governing - The Town Where Everyone Still Walks to School

As Lakewood grew, the city opted against setting up a school bus system, focusing instead on building schools to fit within the community. Most of the schools are multistory buildings on relatively small lots, making them easier to incorporate into residential neighborhoods. As the facilities aged over the years, officials chose to restore and upgrade the existing structures, rather than build sprawling new single-story campuses.

http://www.governing.com/topics/educati ... chool.html

wustl_eng · PostNov 23, 2014#3142014-11-23T12:15+00:00

quincunx wrote:Connor Barwin Philadelphia linebacker and urbanist.

Just saw this now, very cool. Gotta love it when an NFL player reads from Jane Jacobs on the subway. If only more athletes took this kind of active role in their communities. How many Cards/Rams players actually live in the city? If I remember right Jeff Fisher lives (or lived) in Lafayette Square.

quincunx · PostNov 23, 2014#3152014-11-23T18:28+00:00

The Better Block - Form and Fergeson

Place like Canfield Green were built to fail, using out dated urban design principals. Lets take a look at the Neighborhood of Micheal Brown:

http://betterblock.org/form-and-fergeson/

MarkHaversham · PostNov 23, 2014#3162014-11-23T18:41+00:00

It would be more convincing if the author had looked up the correct spelling of Ferguson.

stlhistory · PostNov 23, 2014#3172014-11-23T20:22+00:00

^To the earlier article about walking to school, Clayton doesn't run residential buses (with one minor exception). I don't know that MRH or Brentwood run buses either except for VTS.

quincunx · PostDec 16, 2014#3182014-12-16T19:44+00:00

Need more people like this.

Dallas Developer Monte Anderson Named First Urban Pioneer by Planning Council

“The award means a lot because it means people are staring to recognize that incremental development, or ‘microsurgery’, not big silver bullet deals, works in our southern Dallas neighborhoods,” he said. “My approach is to come in and get other small developers and entrepreneurs to come in very early and be a part of the change. These are the people who make it cool, like artists and restaurateurs, and they [usually] end up not owning anything and getting pushed out in the end.”

http://candysdirt.com/2014/12/11/dallas ... n-pioneer/

wabash · PostDec 22, 2014#3192014-12-22T07:34+00:00

The New York Times on transit ridership increasing, while gas prices decrease: Article.

JuanHamez · PostDec 31, 2014#3202014-12-31T00:46+00:00

The End of gangs
Los Angeles gave America the modern street gang. Groups like the Crips and MS-13 have spread from coast to coast, and even abroad. But on Southern California’s streets they have been vanishing. Has L.A. figured out how to stop the epidemic it set loose on the world?

http://www.psmag.com/navigation/politic ... ime-95498/?

i,Iive,to,draw · PostDec 31, 2014#3212014-12-31T02:22+00:00

JuanHamez wrote:The End of gangs
Los Angeles gave America the modern street gang. Groups like the Crips and MS-13 have spread from coast to coast, and even abroad. But on Southern California’s streets they have been vanishing. Has L.A. figured out how to stop the epidemic it set loose on the world?

http://www.psmag.com/navigation/politic ... ime-95498/?

Does anyone know if the STLMPD uses CompStat or any 21 century form of policing and if not why not?? and many ideas in this article seem really good.

JuanHamez · PostJan 03, 2015#3222015-01-03T16:48+00:00

Can the 'Godfather' of New Louisville Revive One More Neighborhood?
http://www.citylab.com/work/2015/01/can ... od/384164/

Gill Holland pulled off a stunning success in Louisville's East Market area. Now he wants to do it again, across town in Portland.

wustl_eng · PostJan 03, 2015#3232015-01-03T20:35+00:00

Does anyone know if the STLMPD uses CompStat or any 21 century form of policing and if not why not?? and many ideas in this article seem really good.

They do, or at least a version of it--listen to Dotson talk about how they use it in this video (being grilled by Antonio French):

No doubt Compstat's useful but as the video shows it can be just another way to play the number's game... Like saying crime is down and the city is safer because rapes and robberies are down while homicides are way up.

quincunx · PostJan 16, 2015#3242015-01-16T21:39+00:00

americancitizen · PostJan 23, 2015#3252015-01-23T15:33+00:00

Mapping America's Future.

Interesting link

http://datatools.urban.org/features/map ... tures/#map

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