Design After Decline: How America Rebuilds Shrinking Cities

Submitted by Ezra Glenn on Tue, 10/16/2012 - 4:34pm

 A Planetizen Top Ten Book of 2012

Almost fifty years ago, America's industrial cities—Detroit, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Baltimore, and others—began shedding people and jobs. Today they are littered with tens of thousands of abandoned houses, shuttered factories, and vacant lots. With population and housing losses continuing since the 2007 financial crisis, the future of neighborhoods in these places is precarious. How we will rebuild shrinking cities and what urban design vision will guide their future remain contentious and unknown.

International Law from Below

Submitted by Phil Sunde on Tue, 10/16/2012 - 10:24am

The emergence of transnational social movements as major actors in international politics - as witnessed in Seattle in 1999 and elsewhere - has sent shockwaves through the international system. Many questions have arisen about the legitimacy, coherence and efficiency of the international order in the light of the challenges posed by social movements. This book offers a fundamental critique of twentieth-century international law from the perspective of Third World social movements.

21 Days of Questions 365 Days of Action

Submitted by Ezra Glenn on Tue, 10/16/2012 - 9:17am

This October, in partnership with DUSP Professor Ceasar McDowell, the City of Cambridge will begin a revolutionary new outreach and education campaign against Domestic Violence. The project asks: What would happen if every one of us in Cambridge started to talk about Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and different forms of Abuse in Relationships? What if YOU, your friends, your family, your neighbors, your co-workers could be part of a whole new way of creating community change: by asking questions to mobilize action?

Despite Obstacles, Considerable Potential Exists for More Robust Federal Policy on Community Development and Health

Submitted by Xavier de Souza Briggs on Mon, 10/15/2012 - 2:44pm

The implementation of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the Obama administration’s urban policy create an opportunity to link community development with health in new and powerful ways. New federal programs, such as the Affordable Care Act’s Community Transformation Grants, seek to prevent death and disability through policy, environmental, programmatic, and infrastructure changes. But fragmented congressional jurisdiction and budget “scoring” rules pose challenges to needed reform.

Urban Policy Next

Submitted by Xavier de Souza Briggs on Mon, 10/15/2012 - 2:40pm

Written during the Fall 2008 Presidential campaign season, this essay explains why the conventional way of thinking about and pursuing "urban policy" is myopic and broken--and what America should do instead. What would smarter "place policy" look like, and where should we start?

Democracy as Problem Solving Civic Capacity in Communities Across the Globe

Submitted by Ezra Glenn on Fri, 10/12/2012 - 4:35pm

Complexity, division, mistrust, and "process paralysis" can thwart leaders and others when they tackle local challenges. In Democracy as Problem Solving, Xavier de Souza Briggs shows how civic capacity—the capacity to create and sustain smart collective action—can be developed and used. In an era of sharp debate over the conditions under which democracy can develop while broadening participation and building community, Briggs argues that understanding and building civic capacity is crucial for strengthening governance and changing the state of the world in the process.

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