SEED: Can High-Quality Design Change the World?
That is the question being raised by the Design Corp. through it Social Economic Environmental Design (SEED) process. According to the project website, “SEED maintains the belief that design can play a vital role in the most critical issues that face communities and individuals, in crisis and in every day challenges. To accomplish this, the [...]
US Cities and the Competition for Talent
The New York Times reports today that as cities compete for college graduates, there are clear winners and losers: The winners are cities like Bridgeport, Conn., San Francisco and Raleigh, N.C., where more than 40 percent of the population has a college degree. Cities like Youngstown, Ohio, Bakersfield, Calif., and Lakeland, Fla., where less than [...]
People Pay A Premium to Live in Walkable Neighborhoods
That’s the assertion recently made in the New York Times by new urbanism advocate Christopher Leinberger: Until the 1990s, exclusive suburban homes that were accessible only by car cost more, per square foot, than other kinds of American housing. Now, however, these suburbs have become overbuilt, and housing values have fallen. Today, the most valuable [...]
Five Ways Governments Can Use Crowdsourcing
Two consultants from DeLoitte’s government practice have some thoughts about how government can tap into the potential for crowdsourcing: Turning to large groups of people to solve problems, make decisions, and generate ideas in a decentralized way is not a new concept. However, advances in technology and societal changes have made the process of tapping [...]
Kresge Foundation funds “Placemaking”
The Kresge Foundation recently announced it is modifying existing grants programs to promote what it describes as “creative placemaking:” “Projects designed to revitalize neighborhoods or improve the conditions of low-income people work best when arts and cultural activities are fully integrated and a part of a comprehensive community strategy,” says [program director Alice] Carle. Through [...]
