Featured – The Urbanist Dispatch

The Power of Urban Sports (Or, Why Detroit Can Take the Lead)

April 6, 2015

Just as professional sports franchises can be an economic boon to urban neighborhoods, so too is there power and influence in the stadium and physical property itself. Facilities compete with one another for th...

Dubai’s Bastakiya Quarter: An Early Example of Planning for Climate and Modesty

Nick Kahn

February 27, 2015

Community and Neighborhoods, Featured

When most people think of Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, they think of a glitzy city with futuristic-looking high-rise buildings, high-end shopping, luxury hotels and nightlife, along pris...

Lake Park Lagoon along Lincoln Memorial Dr. in Milwaukee, WI. Photo by @cjschmit on Flickr.

Who needs Portlandia, when you’ve got … Milwaukee?

Richard Manning

August 15, 2014

Featured, Sustainability

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is known for taking prickly offense at the term “Rust Belt.” Nonetheless, the belt fits. The old-line manufacturing cities of the upper Midwest preceded the rest of the nation in col...

Close up of freshly built comb. Photo by Ironbee Collective on Flickr.

What’s the Buzz? How Honeybees Help Shape Urban Farming

Rachael Gilliland

August 11, 2014

Community and Neighborhoods, Culture, Featured, Sustainability

As consumers, we don’t always know where our food sources come from, or what helps supply it. As of late, the plight of the honeybee has lead to an influx of interest in what is happening in the bee world. To c...

The Myth of Policy Purity

Jordan Twardy

August 4, 2014

Culture, Featured, Policy

Ideological conflict is nothing new to American politics, but the severity of the gridlock it creates – 2013’s federal government shutdown, for instance – has become especially troubling. And while we gripe abo...

An image made available by Jihadist media outlet Welayat Raqqa on June 30, 2014, allegedly shows a member of the IS (Islamic state) militant group parading in a street in the northern rebel-held Syrian city of Raqqa. (Photo: AFP-Welayat Raqqa)

Raqqa province: Welcome to ISIS’ capital

Firas al-Hakkar

July 24, 2014

Culture, Featured

SIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) increased its grip on "Wilayat al-Raqqa", the capital of the Islamic State. It is setting the foundation of its rule through courts, resolving disputes between civilians, a...

Planet of the Primate (Cities)

Will Leimenstoll

July 10, 2014

Economic Development, Featured

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This is the first article in a multi-part series about primate cities. The recent movie "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" depicts a world where primates of all kinds begin to take control of the world. Funnil...

Blue Hour Over Nashville. Photo by Jim Nix on Flickr.

Nashville’s Growing Pains

Thomas Lewallen

July 7, 2014

Economic Development, Featured, Transportation

While Nashville may always be known as ‘Music City’ do not let the nickname name fool you, this town is no one-trick pony. As of 2013, Nashville’s largest industry has been healthcare with more than 300 compani...

Rendering of The Banks development. Photo credit UrbanCincy.

Developing Downtown Cincinnati

Liz Hayden

June 16, 2014

Community and Neighborhoods, Economic Development, Featured

Downtown Cincinnati has been getting some attention for its budding renaissance, and the recent interest is well deserved. The new vibrancy is primarily a result of two redevelopment projects under construction...

Rising to Downtown Views from the roof of Detroit's Michigan Central Station. Photo by Sean Döerr, snweb.org

Address Sprawl for a Stronger Metro Detroit

Chris Matus and Emily Thompson

May 28, 2014

Featured, Policy, The Burbs

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Detroit’s ups and downs are well documented, but the conversation often fails to frame the city as anything more than the victim of post-industrial disinvestment, mismanagement, or contentious race relations. L...