Preservation

retrofitting old schools

With the potential to reduce carbon consumption by more than 50%, and make £120,000 a year, retrofitting its school is an investment that Impington Village College, near Cambridge in England, can’t afford not to make.[read more]

Paris' tree-lined streets

During the reign of French King Henry IV from 1579 to 1610, he and his Duke of Sully remade French infrastructure with tree-lined highways. A new word was introduced, promenade: a special walk to see and to be seen.[read more]

biking in India

Mysore, a historic city in southern India, is home to numerous palaces and ancient monuments. Mysore’s mixture of local commuters, tourists, students, and visiting business professionals, makes Mysore an ideal environment for biking.[read more]

food-rescue program

An awful lot of food – about 40% from farm to table – gets wasted in the US. Much of that happens closer to the table/consumer end of the spectrum, and a sizable portion of that food that gets thrown away is perfectly edible.[read more]

aftermath of 1913 Omaha tornado

The idea for Historic Natural Disasters came up when fellow Ohio history buff Robert Muhlhauser and I were examining images from the Great Dayton Flood and trying to find their locations in Google Maps.[read more]

historic preservation

Providence may be a particularly fine example, but it is hardly the only city with underutilized historic assets that could become a cornerstone of future economic development.[read more]

transport? catalyst? both?

Fast, efficient and individualistic, the bicycle is no ordinary mode of transport. It’s a church, a gym, a community creator. It is touchable, attainable freedom. It is also a tool for nature conservation.[read more]

open spaces

Given the cost and complexities involved in purchasing and setting aside green, open space, no one type of organization can go it alone. Local governments, land trusts, non-profits, and private sector developers must forge partnerships.[read more]

guerrilla garden

In every bio-region one of the most urgent tasks is to rebuild the community of naturalists, so radically depleted in recent years, as young people have spent less time in nature.[read more]

Chicago's Bloomingdale Trail

Chicago’s Bloomingdale Trail, the 3-mile elevated rail park may give the High Line park in New York City a run for its money. What makes the park really different from the High Line?[read more]

urban memories

The Great Recession, climate change and the quest for carbon neutrality have reoriented how we look at cities, the distance between home and work, and the role of the automobile.[read more]

1 of Cincinnati's 399 staircases

Changing uses (or misuses) for public staircases were the result of shifting attitudes by urban planners and architects who were themselves willing participants aboard the rise of auto-oriented development.[read more]