Detroit’s urban farming movement is thriving, supplying fresh produce, jobs and revived communities. Desiree Cooper examines this new food-based economy and the issues holding it back.
blueprint america
The thin green line: Investing in urban parks
Need to Know visits the High Line, a flowering oasis built atop an old train trestle on Manhattan’s west side. It has drawn millions of admiring locals and tourists. But it’s more than just a nice place to relax and take in the view — it’s an economic engine.
An indecent proposal for our country’s infrastructure future
Is it fiscally responsible to cut transportation spending now when this country’s infrastructure needs are only growing?, asks Samuel I. Schwartz.
Blame the road, not the victim
Raquel Nelson faces prison for jaywalking during a hit-and-run accident that killed her son. But Sally Flocks argues that the agencies that designed the roads and located bus stops bear some responsibility for this crash.
Standing room only
As the world steadily marches toward record-breaking population figures, Need to Know time travels to the late ’60s/early ’70s, when “overpopulation” was a frightening issue that occupied a substantial slice of the American psyche.
Phillip Longman and Julia Whitty on the population conversation
Alison Stewart interviews reporters Phillip Longman and Julia Whitty to discuss the challenges of population change today, and just how serious they are.
A modest proposal for a new population debate
What caused the disappearances of not only “population bomb” rhetoric but also the milder quality of life critique, asks Professor Derek Hoff.
Rebirth of the Rustbelt: an architect’s perspective
Can cities like Detroit, Cleveland and Youngstown, Ohio, make a comeback? Reed Kroloff, director of Michigan’s Cranbrook Academy of Art, thinks so.
