Latest news with #urbanrevitalization
CBS News
19-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Detroit Mower Gang keeps forgotten city parks alive
When Detroit faced deep financial trouble in 2010, the city announced plans to shut down dozens of public parks. That's when one man, Tom Nardone, fired up a Craigslist lawn tractor and unknowingly sparked a movement. Fifteen years later, the Detroit Mower Gang is still at it: clearing brush, mowing fields, and reviving neglected green spaces across the city. "Our goal is to find things no one else is doing, and to do those things," said Nardone, who founded the group in the early days of the city's bankruptcy. Nardone's first mission was a weedy park near Eight Mile Road and Interstate 75 with overgrown grass and abandoned courts. "Kids were just waiting to play basketball or ride the swing; they just needed the lawn mowed," he said. The project grew when he took on a bigger challenge: the Dorais Velodrome, a long-abandoned bicycle racetrack on Detroit's east side. He put out a call for help to bike clubs and scooter groups. To his surprise, they showed up. Since then, the Detroit Mower Gang has become a regular sight every other Wednesday, rain or shine, clearing brush from forgotten parks, ballfields, and sidewalks. When we caught up with them, they were mowing an old football field in Highland Park. "I don't know if there are many people who have been in as many nooks and crannies of this town as I have," Nardone said. "And I'm really proud of it. It's just a fascinating place." From one man and a mower to a crew of determined volunteers, the Detroit Mower Gang continues to cut through the city's neglect—and make space for joy, community, and pride.
CTV News
09-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Longueuil, Brossard reveal complete redesign of Taschereau Boulevard
Taschereau Boulevard, a major thoroughfare on Montreal's South Shore, could be about to undergo a significant transformation. The cities of Longueuil and Brossard jointly released their preliminary vision for a comprehensive overhaul of the boulevard on Monday morning. 'We are aware that the redevelopment of Taschereau has been hotly debated in recent years and that several versions of this project have emerged in the past, but they lacked consistency,' said Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier. 'This project will mark a fundamental transformation for the area: moving from a motorway-style thoroughfare to a green, friendly and safe urban boulevard, lined with new neighbourhoods, local shops and office space.' The revitalization is expected to span from the Longueuil-Université-de-Sherbrooke terminus in Longueuil and the Panama terminus in Brossard, complete with a rapid bus service (SRB). 'With more than 58,000 daily trips between Brossard and Longueuil — making Taschereau Boulevard the fifth busiest corridor in Quebec — a major transformation is needed,' the press release notes. 'Issues related to climate change and the unprecedented housing crisis reinforce the need to establish a structuring link between the two cities.' According to the mayors, 221 hectares of land could be redeveloped to create 'complete and connected living environments with a redesigned architectural identity, where concrete will give way to a greener, more integrated and attractive environment.' 'Transforming Taschereau Boulevard is no longer an option. It is a necessity to reconcile mobility, quality of life, safety and urban attractiveness,' said Brossard Mayor Doreen Assaad. 'Unlike megaprojects that get bogged down, our approach is simple, realistic and ready to be implemented.' Taschereau Boulevard A map showing the route of the complete redesign of Taschereau Boulevard. (Ville de Longueuil) The plan proposes creating up to 12,000 homes, including affordable housing, rentals, condos and more, as well as adding 55,000 m² of offices and other commercial spaces. The project also includes a dedicated bike lane and walkway, as well as upgraded water and sewer networks. 'We are confident that we are finally on the right track, one that will allow us to move forward,' said Fournier. 'While the scale of the redevelopment is considerable, I am convinced that with the support of all our partners, we will be able to deliver a project of the highest caliber, in line with the aspirations of the people of Longueuil, Brossard and the entire region.' The project is in collaboration with Transports Quebec, the Réseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL), the Autorité régionale du transport métropolitain (ARTM), and more. Next steps include conducting 'preliminary studies for underground infrastructure' in addition to sourcing resident input 'at key stages.'
The Guardian
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
A free flat for a fortnight: the German city offering perks to fight depopulation
If you're considering moving to a German ex-communist model city that is trying to lure new residents with a range of perks, including free accommodation and rounds of drinks with locals, take it from Tom Hanks: Eisenhüttenstadt has many charms. While filming outside Berlin in 2011, the Hollywood actor and history buff took a mini field trip 60 miles east to what he called Iron Hut City and was instantly smitten. 'An amazing architectural place,' he said, pronouncing it 'fascinating'. He returned sprinkling stardust again three years later, even acquiring a vintage Trabant car he shipped back to Los Angeles. 'People still live there – it's actually a gorgeous place,' Hanks said. People do still live in Eisenhüttenstadt, perhaps better translated as Ironworks City – just not enough, say the city's administrators. The population is now less than half the 53,000 it counted before the fall of the Berlin Wall. An early 2000s guidebook described it as a Truman Show version of the GDR. But just as residents battled successfully after reunification to retain the giant steel plant the city was built around after the second world war, Eisenhüttenstadt is not going to wither and die of depopulation without a fight. 'Many people left us looking for work, especially the young,' mayor Frank Balzer said. 'We're at a point where we're trying to draw new people to secure the future of our companies and the attractiveness of the city.' The new Probewohnen programme will allow a handful of newcomers or returnees to try out living and working in Eisenhüttenstadt as it celebrates its 75th anniversary. It is modelled on similar schemes that have been successful in other shrinking east German communities and could be expanded if it bears fruit. Those chosen and their families will be given a furnished flat in the city centre for two weeks in September, opportunities to sit in with potential employers, and a recreation package including meet-and-greet Stammtisch evenings in a local pub as well as hiking excursions in the surrounding canal-laced forested region on the Polish border. Julia Basan, the municipal economic development officer spearheading the campaign, said her phone has been ringing non-stop since she announced it last month, with 500 people already submitting their requests ahead of a 5 July deadline. 'I even got an application in Pashto,' Basan said, adding that an American family of seven had also thrown their hat in the ring. She declined to identify the applicants on data protection grounds. Balzer said 'Germans and Europeans' with the right paperwork, language skills and job qualifications would have the best shot due to labour laws but no serious contender would be rejected out of hand. Both Balzer and Basan's families have roots in Eisenhüttenstadt stretching back to its beginnings as Stalinstadt (Stalin City) from 1953-61. It was the first city to be founded – in East or West Germany – after the Nazi period, and was born of a socialist vision of how work and family life could be blended in the right surroundings for the good of all. Axel Drieschner, curator at the city's Utopia and Everyday Life museum, said repeated attempts to diversify away from steel production had largely failed, meaning the erstwhile Soviet-style city risked becoming a ghost town if the plant closed. Eisenhüttenstadt has 'pioneer spirit in its genes – people were brought here to roll up their sleeves and build something new,' he said. 'The big question is, can we build on that tradition for the future with a positive vision. Perhaps with new pioneers.' Most of the cheaper Plattenbauten, or prefab housing blocks, on the city's fringes were demolished as their occupants died off or left town. But the elegant 1950s-era neoclassical buildings Hanks raved about, with their leafy inner courtyards decked out with playgrounds, have been handsomely refurbished. From nearly any vantage point in the city, the chimneys of the steel mill puffing out white smoke can be seen down the planners' clear street axes – a constant reminder of the enduring dependence on one sector. After communism, the plant was privatised and downsized, with staff counts plunging from 11,000 people to about 2,500 employees today. Multinational giant ArcelorMittal is now overseeing a transition to 'green' steel with a smaller carbon footprint – one more bid for Eisenhüttenstadt to reinvent itself for a new century. Asked about his fears around Donald Trump's swingeing steel import tariffs, Balzer, a Social Democrat, said most of what was produced locally went to eastern Europe or stayed in Germany. 'But our parent company could be badly affected,' he added. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion Daniel Kubiak, a scholar at Berlin's Humboldt University's Institute for Empirical Integration and Migration Research, said introductory schemes like the one in Eisenhüttenstadt offer a chance to break down stubborn prejudices. 'Many eastern German cities need these campaigns because despite all the problems, the image is usually worse than the reality,' he said. Kubiak said Eisenhüttenstadt's structural challenges were hardly unique, comparing them with those in the north-east of England, southern Italy and eastern Poland. But he said evolving ways of working offered an opportunity for a new generation of risk takers. 'In an age of working from home, the expansion of broadband internet and dynamic career paths, this (programme) could be attractive to young people who are so badly needed in east German cities. But the longtime residents have to do their part too' in making people feel welcome, he said. Precariousness and a pervasive sense among older residents that the town's best days are behind it have given rise to strong support for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party, which won nearly 40% of local votes in the February general election. When the Guardian visited, a small demonstration under an AfD banner proceeded down the linden-lined high street, once named Lenin Avenue, with an elderly organiser denouncing the 'war mongers' behind the German government's arms shipments to Ukraine. Enrico Hartrampf of GeWi property management, which runs the bulk of local housing stock, said most of the town's older residents had never lived anywhere else. 'It means it can be hard for them to see how good we have it here,' he said. 'Tell anyone in Berlin we pay an average of €6.50 per square metre in rent and see what they say.' In a vicious circle, however, the AfD profits from fears of decay while creating an image problem for Eisenhüttenstadt, turning off some highly qualified potential applicants the city says it craves. A report by a Berlin public broadcaster about the Probewohnen programme last month drew dozens of comments on social media saying the anti-immigrant, pro-Kremlin party's firm foothold in town would put them off. Refugees like 19-year-old Shakib from Herat in western Afghanistan have helped staunch depopulation in Eisenhüttenstadt, particularly since the 2015 influx under former chancellor Angela Merkel that brought him to Germany. But they have not always received a warm welcome. 'There are a lot of opportunities and jobs and no crime – but unfortunately also a lot of racism here in the east, from the old and the young,' said Shakib, who is training as a paramedic in the staff-starved healthcare industry. Local elections are scheduled for 28 September, just after the Probewohnen period, and polls indicate the AfD could come out on top. However, many residents say that while there are plenty of disgruntled voters, they do not set the tone in town, which they describe as friendly, open and even optimistic. 'I studied in Berlin and Potsdam and decided to come back,' said teacher Josephine Geller, 30, adding she had seen a marked improvement in the town's attractiveness for educated women like her over the last decade. 'They've renovated a lot and it's a great place to live with children – not too big and not too small. You can reach everything on a bike and we love the lakes.' Sarah Kuhnke, 27, who trains nurses, said she also saw a bright future for Eisenhüttenstadt. 'There might not be a lot of cafes and bars but people from all over come to see our remarkable architecture and natural beauty,' she said. 'It's worth it to try living here.'
CBC
05-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
After decades of trying, can the new Granville Street plan succeed where others have failed?
Social Sharing "Through the years Granville has been the roughest main drag of any major city in Canada," declared the Vancouver Sun after renovations were done to provide beautification, remove cars, and revitalize the street in downtown Vancouver. "It's the first time in nearly 40 years that it gives the appearance of going any place." That column was published in 1974, more than 50 years and nine mayors ago. Since then, there have been a number of attempts to breathe new life into Vancouver's main theatre district and nightclub area. Every decade or two, a new plan emerges to balance entertainment and pedestrian needs while reducing issues surrounding crime, housing and safety. "It's probably the most complex urban space downtown," said Brent Toderian, who became Vancouver's city planner in 2006 just after the launch of a Granville Street redesign inspired by the 2010 Winter Olympics. "When you have a higher degree of difficulty, it's easier to fail … we're talking about a particularly sophisticated and complex street, so that just means it's harder." Plan unanimously passes Now, Vancouver is trying again. On Wednesday, city council unanimously approved a new strategy for Granville Street in its downtown blocks, a vision that will eventually involve the removal of vehicles (with buses diverted to Seymour and Howe streets), a destination public space at Robson Street, and the replacement of SROs with rental and social housing. The full plan can be read here. "Granville Street has a long and storied history," said Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung. "We want to build on that, but we also want to imagine a new, modernized, revitalized street that people want to go to not just for nightlife, but during the daytime, not just on the weekend, but during the weekdays." The city estimates the plan will cost between $90 million and $140 million, not adjusted for inflation. It will also be stretched out over a 20-year period, with the removal of vehicles not happening for at least six years. But what will make this attempt work better than previous plans? 'The city hasn't had a great track record' Revitalizing Granville has been an ongoing priority for Vancouver, with the current plan in the works for two years and a community survey in February receiving nearly 3,000 responses. So too has been creating a pedestrian-only commercial area, with pilot projects on Yew and Water streets the last two summers. However, the Yew Street pilot ended after a little more than five weeks and the city dialed back its ambitions for Water Street this summer, showing the city's difficulty in implementing change for just a couple of blocks, let alone an entire downtown street. "You have to have some humility in terms of how complex the challenge is. It's really hard. But we have to acknowledge that the city hasn't had a great track record of pulling off these kind of street transformations," Toderian said. Kirby-Yung said the city had learned a few things over the past couple of years that gave her more confidence. "I want to see change happen quickly … let's put the capital dollars into making really substantive changes that create a quality public realm," she said. "But at the same time, we also need to invest in short-term solutions to the emergent problems. So more cleaning on the street, better street furniture …it's not a question of, you know, quickly slapping something up. It's about actually developing a public space." WATCH | 20-year plan approved for Granville Street: Vancouver city council approves 20-year plan to revitalize Granville Street 8 hours ago Duration 2:31 Council unanimously approved a new strategy for Granville Street, a vision that would eventually involve the removal of vehicles, a destination public space at Robson Street and the replacement of SROs with rental and social housing. What comes next? In the first five years of the plan, the focus will be on supporting arts and cultural programming, bringing in new redevelopments, establishing funding, and having pilot projects for pedestrian zones. Toderian said a possible problem with such a lengthy plan is that the city would lose the energy required to see the changes through. "The longer it takes to get to the objective, the more likely that you're going to chicken out or you're going to cut the legs out from under the idea or backtrack," he said. At the same time, he said a staged approach could work, but it was contingent on Vancouver approaching it the right way. "Maybe if the first phase is such a success, you build in the nimbleness that allows you to advance it quicker because you can say, 'Hey, look, we did this,'" he said. "But it's not about what you take away, like cars. It's about what you add … we have to have a really high standard for ourselves about creating a marvellous place."
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Inside the deserted steel town where 10,000 buildings sit abandoned
An Indiana border city is undergoing a makeover following six decades of decline which earned it the moniker 'Scary Gary'. The now crime-ravaged metropolis was named after lawyer Elbert Henry Gary, who founded US Steel and built what is still the conglomerate's biggest plant there in the summer of 1908. Gary grew into a prosperous industrial powerhouse which provided the raw materials for many of America's bridges, tunnels and skyscrapers over the first half of the 20th century. It's also known for being the birthplace of Michael Jackson in 1958, and where he grew up with his brothers before they became the Jackson Five. But the once-booming city crumbled into chaos following the decline of the American steel industry in the 1970s, as foreign steel imports outpaced domestic production. Its overall population plummeted from 180,000 people in 1960 to less than half that number today - and around 10,000 buildings now lay abandoned. Although Gary has long been a diverse city, the exodus also dramatically changed its racial dynamics. Much of the steel workers who left were white, meaning the black and Hispanic share of the population rose from 21 percent in 1930 to around 87 percent in 2020. This dwarfs the national median of 27 crimes per square mile - and it's also a whopping 149 percent higher than the Indiana median of 20 crimes per square mile. Residents told Santanello they're terrified to walk down the streets at night out of fear of being robbed - or even shot - amid a sprawl of decaying buildings and abandoned homes. But the Rust Belt city harbors 'the recipe for success' thanks to its strong infrastructure, according to its new Democrat Mayor Eddie Melton (pictured). 'We have to change the narrative and make it clear to the world that Gary is open to business,' Melton told the New York Times. Gary sits on the banks of Lake Michigan just across the Illinois border from Chicago, and it has easy access to the arterial railroads it once helped build. It also straddles a shipping port to the north, and Indiana Dunes National Park to the east, which attracts almost three million tourists each year. Melton's administration has begun tearing down old buildings to make way for new developments, with plans to construct a casino and a minor league ballpark. Officials hope Gary will grow into an urban hub which will provide a cheaper alternative to neighboring Chicago, where rents have rocketed in recent years. The average home in the city currently stands at just $69,725 according to Zillow, a price which pales in comparison with the Chicago average of $279,118. It's also much lower than the cost of buying a home in the nearby Indiana city of Fort Wayne, which has an average of $215,237 per Zillow. Nearby transport systems are also in the process of receiving a boost, including a $127 million grant for Interstates 80 and 94, which traverse Gary. Meanwhile, the South Shore Line, a commuter rail link which connects Chicago with northwest Indiana cities, is set to open a second set of tracks between Gary and Michigan City. The Gary/Chicago International Airport was also given a $6 million grant from the federal government allowing it to add more cargo capacity, with the aiming of it becoming a logistics hub for the United Parcel Service. However, officials who want to see improvements from within the city itself will also have to contend with Gary's status as a political outlier and border city which has also historically held it back. As a smaller, majority Democratic city within a large conservative county within a Republican stronghold state, Gary officials have often been obstructed by more powerful lawmakers. Gary has elected a succession of Democrat mayors since 1943, while the Indiana State Senate currently has 39 Republican members and 10 Dems. The assembly has blocked several initiatives which would have allowed the city to expand its tax base - while also offering scarce funding due to concerns over corruption, according to the NYT. 'Gary was held captive to what the other cities in its county wanted to do,' Paul Helmke, the former Republican mayor of Fort Wayne told the newspaper. The much-contested acquisition of US Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel could also affect yet more American jobs. US Steel's largest plant, Gary Works, employs around 3,700 people - down from more than 30,000 at its peak. Previous plans to transform Gary have also been canned, including a multibillion-dollar scheme to construct a theme park based on the city's reputation as the birthplace of the Jackson Five. 'We certainly missed an opportunity to make it like a Dollywood, a Graceland,' said Chuck Hughes, the president of the Gary Chamber of Commerce told the NYT.
