After the devastating Lahaina fire, a community in Maui is facing the challenge of rebuilding and preventing speculators and developers from altering the local landscape. In response, community members are working on establishing a nonprofit community land trust to purchase properties and maintain affordability for local residents. This model, already used in other disaster-affected areas, aims to preserve housing affordability and cultural value while addressing the post-disaster housing market pressures.
The Chicago White Sox are seeking taxpayer funding for a new stadium and surrounding development on a vacant site in the South Loop, but state law currently limits available funding to about $100 million, far short of the estimated $1 billion cost. The proposed project includes ambitious economic impact projections and plans for affordable housing, but skeptics question the feasibility of these figures. The team's desire for a new downtown ballpark hinges on potential changes to state law and the ability to secure additional financing.
Actor Christian Bale breaks ground on a 16-year passion project to build a village community in California for foster children, aiming to keep siblings in the foster care system together. The $22 million project, led by Bale's organization Together California, will feature 12 homes, two studio apartments, and a community center, with completion expected by 2025. Bale's personal commitment to foster care stems from his childhood and intensified after the birth of his daughter, and he emphasized the importance of community involvement and tangible impact.
Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed skeptical residents at a community meeting held at St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church in Northeast Washington to outline her vision for the redevelopment of the RFK Stadium site. While opinions varied among attendees, many expressed concerns about taxpayer funding for a new stadium. Bowser emphasized that the city's primary focus is gaining control of the land from the federal government and highlighted the potential for a mixed-use development that serves the District of Columbia. The mayor also mentioned ongoing negotiations with the Nationals and Monumental Sports for long-term funding for improvements to Nationals Park and Capital One Arena. A sports study has been commissioned to evaluate funding structures for a potential NFL stadium and address the financial needs of existing professional sports franchises.
A 30-year-old architectural historian purchased an abandoned house in Wheeling, West Virginia for $16,500 and embarked on a transformative renovation project. Over 18 months, the 3,075-square-foot house underwent extensive repairs, including masonry work, new windows, floors, and walls. The homeowner preserved as much of the original detail as possible and even had the house appraised at $202,000 after the initial repairs. The renovated house now features a combination of original and modern elements, including a kitchen with professional appliances. The homeowner is proud to be part of the solution in revitalizing the neighborhood and believes in the value of historic properties for affordable access to real estate.
The City of College Station has released its 10-year Wellborn District Plan, which includes proposals for more sidewalks and shared-use paths, community development along Live Oak Street, and landscaping improvements to Wellborn Road. The plan also addresses concerns about TxDOT's plan to widen Wellborn Road and emphasizes the preservation of Wellborn's rural, natural, and historical features. The plan suggests the development of Live Oak Street as a main street, the creation of a Wellborn District Association, and modifications to the bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. Public feedback is being sought before the plan is adopted by the city council.
Jacqueline Trejo, the mayor of Macuelizo, a municipality in northwest Honduras, is seeking help from the Honduran diaspora in the U.S. to improve the quality of life in her town. With limited funds and a dwindling population due to migration, Trejo visited a Honduran restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia, to ask for donations and ideas. She plans to use the funds to provide music lessons in schools and implement programs to improve education and healthcare, with the goal of stopping migration and empowering the community.
Mamadou Diakhate, a builder and fundraiser in Senegal, has turned to crowdfunding campaigns to construct wells in communities suffering from water scarcity. With droughts becoming more frequent globally, Diakhate's group has built over 50 wells since 2020, with nine more under construction. By utilizing the internet, Diakhate aims to bring communities together to address the problem of water scarcity. Villages like Ourou Amady Bagga have already benefited, with the potential for surplus vegetables to be sold, providing an economic boost. Crowdfunding campaigns in sub-Saharan Africa could reach $2.5 billion by 2025.
Jeff Ament, a member of the band Pearl Jam, has collaborated with Nike to open a new skate park and basketball court in Fort Yates, North Dakota. The skate park was built by Ament's non-profit organization, Montana Pool Service. The recreational spaces are seen as a positive outlet for the youth in the community, particularly for Native Americans who struggle with alcoholism and drugs. The event brought together people of all ages from the Standing Rock Reservation, emphasizing the importance of community and investing in youth and education. Montana Pool Service hopes to continue working with Nike to open more parks on reservations.
Havendock is a low-stakes city-building game set in the middle of the ocean, where players build interconnected wooden docks to create a community. Creator Yeo Ying Zhi (YYZ) has been transparent about the game's development process and has taken community feedback into account. While multiplayer is still experimental, YYZ hopes to make it a proper multiplayer experience. YYZ's goal is for enough people to know about Havendock that it becomes recognized.
The National Football League (NFL) is borrowing $78 million from a syndicate of Black- and minority-owned banks and community development financial institutions to increase lending in underrepresented communities. The loan deal will generate "tier 1 capital" for the banks and CDFIs, boosting their lending power by millions through banking fees and interest. The NFL's involvement will create opportunity for Black- and minority-owned banks to make income and then put that money out into the community, according to Dominik Mjartan, CEO of Optus Bank in Columbia, South Carolina, one of 16 financial institutions partnering on the loan.
A private developer, Taurus Investment Holdings, plans to build a 600-acre public park in east Austin that will be donated to the city's park system once completed. The park will cost $8 million and will be built over six to seven phases in the next seven years. It will feature a 12-foot wide paved trail, an outdoor amphitheater, picnic areas, playgrounds, and shade structures. The park will be located next to Whisper Valley, a sustainable community in the highway 130 corridor in east Austin.
Six months after the closure of two hospitals by Wellstar Health System, the future of the idle Atlanta Medical Center property remains uncertain. The area has been home to a hospital for a century, and city officials would like for some type of health care facility to fill the void, possibly combined with other uses. However, the property is on the outskirts of thriving gentrification, making it potentially attractive for developers. A city-imposed moratorium bars new development at the site, which covers a city block. Now, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is working to renew that 180-day moratorium.
President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act has set aside $1.5 billion for the federal Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program to fund tree-planting projects over the next decade, with a focus on underserved communities. Urban forestry advocates see this moment as an opportunity to transform underserved neighborhoods that have grappled with dirtier air, dangerously high temperatures, and other challenges because they don’t have a leafy canopy overhead. Trees help suck up heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce erosion and flooding. They're also credited with helping to save lives, considering heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S.
A Ukrainian farmer is taking on the dangerous task of clearing land mines from his former pig and cattle farm, which is now covered in exploded mines and shells. He believes that the community urgently needs its crops and jobs, and cannot wait for military sappers to clear the land.
