Is “Sustainability” Old Hat?
Americans have treated the word “sustainability” as though everyone practices sustainability daily and the concept is old hat. We should know better.
Marrying Rehab and Affordable Housing
How can cities creatively and compactly marry affordable housing, historic rehabilitation, vibrant commerce, civic uses, and urban revitalization?
Meeting the Mission: A Fresh Set of Eyes
The National Housing Institute (publisher of Shelterforce) describes itself as “dedicated to fostering decent affordable housing and a vibrant community for everyone.” This fall, I charged 46 freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and […]
Let’s Consider “Anticipatory Design”
Despite constant pressure to define and showcase our cities to celebrate their history and to showcase the “new,” cities remain constrained by the functional—and often political— reality of the speed […]
Community and Economic Development, 2012-2016
Responding to Paul Ryan’s commentary about valuing seniors, Vice President Biden shared some advice he received from his father: “Look, don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget, […]
The Dangers of Being an “Armchair” Anything
The East Side Commercial Historic District is an enclave of historic structures representing a fascinating cross-section of Milwaukee’s eastern commercial development history. The district comprises three city blocks filled with roughly 40 structures […]
The Slow Building Movement
Standing at the northern gateway of Milwaukee’s Fifth Ward and the confluence of the Menomonee and Milwaukee Rivers is a highly-visible, vacant brick structure with all the signs of promise. […]
Reconnecting Shared Visions to Investment Opportunities
Recently, over two sizable cups of locally-roasted coffee, a colleague and I mulled over a simple question: “How can we continue to make our city more livable?” True, this is […]
Revitalize Our Building Stock, Revitalize the Economy
For the same reason that many admire the Flatiron building in New York City, I had a special affinity for one of the original Jos. A. Schlitz taverns in Milwaukee. […]
Catalysts Turned Stalemates
All too often in cities around the country, a once-clear vision of a “catalytic development project” is easily blurred by protracted discussions about whose idea provides the silver bullet. At […]
Property Owners as Stewards of a Community Vision
How can property owners become the stewards of a carefully crafted local vision? Milwaukee’s “Queen Anne,” one of the few Queen Annes in such a historic setting, is owned by […]
How Influential, the Voice of Another
Milwaukee is about to lose an incredible economic opportunity due to an inability to capitalize on our talents. To kick off the new year and my inaugural Rooflines blog post, […]