All posts by Kristen Jeffers

Kristen Jeffers has always been interested in how cities work. She’s also always loved writing things. She went off to a major state university, got a communication degree and then started a more professional Blogger site. Then, in her graduate seminar on urban politics, along with browsing the urbanist blogosphere, she realized that her ideas should have a stronger, clearer voice, one that reflects her identity as a Black southern woman. And with that The Black Urbanist blog was born. Seven years, one Twitter account, one self-published book, two podcasts and a litany of speeches and urban planning projects later, here we are.
Cities, Cityreads, Links

Placebook: Come Around the Table In Love

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Friday evening I experienced something I’d only experienced but one time before. Dinner at the home of Charlie and Ruth Jones. Sure, you can have dinner at a lot of homes, but dinner at this home is a lot different. You ascend the steps to their top floor apartment. At the top, you are greeted with lots of warmth and the sight of a massively long table, always set to a different theme. You mingle and then you sit down and then you chat with people you may have seen in passing, but now know a lot more about, encouraged by a prayer by the hosts to lay down all your pretensions and esteem your seatmate better than oneself. To love for a few minutes, maybe just a little bit better than you loved before you came in. Oh, and to share a part of yourself on the stage in the parlor room after your bellies are full with the wonderful physical food that was shared, and listen to more spiritual food shared by others.

And in this spirit, this month here on the blog, we will be focusing on love, as well as the history of my people, as many of us do for this month. Each week, there will be an essay on some form of love for the places we live. I invite you to share your love stories of where you live too. I’ll also be reposting some of my Black History Month content and I invite you, if you have a special story about the black experience and place, please feel free to share it. Email me at the email above or if you are reading this in your email, reply back to it with your stories. Throughout the month, I’ll share them in this section of Placebook.

And with a mighty Go Seahawks,the news:

North Carolina News Round-Up

Tuesday night’s Greensboro City Council agenda.

These two Greensboro notables could have disappeared and given up on their life’s mission when their terms/jobs ended on Election Day. Yet, they take to Stephanie’s and have a conversation together, showing the power of many and many more second acts to come.

New mixed-use development set to start soon near NewBridge Bank Park in downtown, which will be anchored by another hotel.

The head of the Greensboro Economic Development Alliance defends his record.

People in Burlington were not hurt, but not notified of a major sewage spill in the Haw River last week.

Can we really compare Greensboro and Winston-Salem on economic measures? The News & Record makes an attempt. From what I can see both cities having winning times and losing times.

Guilford County School Board issues a resolution against ending teacher tenure.

The state of North Carolina’s HBCU’s.

The uncovered story of a Buffalo Soldier with roots and connections to Greensboro.


U.S. and World News Round-Up

NPR has a great report on the impact of crack on DC. It’s latest struggle with public housing and gentrification.

California’s State Water Project will not deliver water for the first time in its history due to the drought.

Fellow Streetsblogger Alex Ihnen just published a study on Millennials in St. Louis and makes the case for retaining them.

Thoughts on the concept of jaywalking. There’s a science to all foot traffic too and it helps us design cities better.

Uncategorized

Placebook: It All Fell Down and It Rises Back Up

As I was driving to a meeting yesterday where I met with fellow young folks to brainstorm some new activities for downtown, I saw this strange cloud coming up from behind a bridge. I’d seen some strange clouds in the past few days, especially around the snow coming in. However, the cloud quickly got darker and I could see that it was coming from the ground. Even though the facility burned down and four firefighters were hurt, no one died and no other things caught on fire. Many other fire crews came in support and the fire is contained. My hope is that by the time this post goes live, it will be extinguished. Here’s the latest on the Greensboro downtown fire from the News and Record.

Even though that roof fell down (and the young man who I mentioned yesterday was identified as a friend to many on my Facebook timeline), I am thankful that I am falling up. Today is the end of my first month of Placebook. I want to thank everyone who continues to write great articles and share great articles, on their social networks. Be it known that there are some fun things to come, not just from what I talked about at my meeting, but around this space. Thanks for being a part of it and I hoped you all learn something. Now on to the news and a wonderful weekend.

NC News Round-up

A feature on what changes are coming to parking at Charlotte-Douglass Airport, including higher parking fees. Also, what’s going on at PTI here in Greensboro.

Charlotte’s Carolina Theater is coming back to life thanks to 5 million dollars from Bank of America. Also, Eric Frazier of The Charlotte Observer analyzes the Atlanta snow crisis in light of what could happen in Charlotte.

Winston-Salem’s Chamber now has an official program and initiative for young professionals

These Durham high-school students have started a real bank on their campus.

How we can begin to re-diversify the music scene and where we hold concerts and art shows, especially for lesser known artists.

National and World Round-up

The snowy owl in DC was hit by a bus. She’ll be ok. Unfortunately, a DC man died because the person who called for help did it by running across the street to the fire station instead of calling 911.

New York Mayor DeBlasio starts the process of dismantling stop-and-frisk. Anthony Weiner didn’t become mayor, but he’s now become a fan of bike lanes.

How much snow does it take to shut down school throughout the US. It depends. Sadly this school is shutting down lunches for kids who can’t pay. But this school has a principal who worked his way up from being a janitor at the same school.

Thanks to veterans courts in certain cities, vets struggling with substance abuse and mental health problems have a chance at rehab instead of jail.

How a sense of place and belonging can affect what’s on the top of your head. Also, we need a better measure of homeownership, one that is similar to moving away from the official unemployment count for labor-force participation.

An exhibit in London will explore what its rising skyline means for Londoners and architecture in general.

Who is liable when an Uber car hits someone and causes damages or death?

And finally for the weekend, I felt like I was missing out by not having my own Little Tykes Cosy Coupe(even though I did have the mini kitchen). Now, thanks to these guys, I could drive an adult sized one.

Cities, Cityreads, Links

Placebook: Spring Today, Winter Tomorrow, Summer Next Week and Fall?

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After the eventful day we had yesterday, I felt like I needed to remind folks what is proper to do when weird weather comes around.  Please pass that PSA around to folks, because we are not out of the woods yet for extreme cold, extreme heat, snow, ice, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires and anything else that combines tragedy and nature. And with that, let’s get into some news for today.

NC News Round-up

A man jumped off the Marriott parking deck in Downtown Greensboro

GTA is short 2 million dollars. Meanwhile a man was robbed at the bus stop.

City of Greensboro still working on financing for the STPAC.

A profile of the new interim (independent) citizens police review board in Greensboro and also the details on the latest movements with the Renaissance Co-op and shopping center.

A train hit a tractor-trailer in Colfax, just west of Greensboro. No one was hurt.

Kroger now officially owns Harris Teeter.

These photos of Dix Hill remind me of the fact I never got to sled as a student in Raleigh. The one snow may have snarled traffic, but it cleared up before I could get back outside to play.

Oh, it’s funny, that Onion article about Charlotte, but it’s also so true.

Person County (just above Durham) will be receiving funds and technical assistance from Smart Growth America.

Students at Davidson College are aiming for zero waste at athletic events.

National and World News Round-Up

Aaron Renn makes a compelling argument that Houston’s had a bad rap in the media for no reason, as it has a lot of the qualities we want in a city, despite no zoning restrictions.

Free transit seems to be a win-win for both the government and citizens of Tallin, Estonia.

Die-hard bike commuters report no problems with getting around in the snow, in NYC and in ATL.

Several California cities are running out of water.

Why the Greater Greater Washington crew lives exactly where they do in the region. Like most of us, it’s a pretty personal decision where exactly to live.

Atlanta, Cities, Family and Place, Government, Issues and Ideas, Politics of Place, Raleigh, snow

What Should You Do When Weird Weather Shows Up?

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Sometimes, all you can do is make sure you buy enough food at Harris Teeter to get ready for weird weather.
Sometimes, all you can do is make sure you buy enough food at Harris Teeter to get ready for weird weather.

So we’ve had another situation of weather causing bizarre things to happen. Whether it’s snow in Atlanta or a major hurricane in New York, Americans seem to never tire of comparisons to the zombie apocalypse or The Day After Tomorrow. Never mind that in a few weeks we’ll forget this never happened, while those affected may still not have their old house back almost 10 years later.

So this all leads me to what we should and shouldn’t do, at least when it comes to community-building and placemaking and management, when a natural disaster happens.

Take those personal natural disaster plans seriously.

Don’t be the person who giggles when it’s time to stop, drop and roll. You’ll want to roll into a ball if you didn’t remember to pack a blanket, clothes and everything else that goes into a roadside disaster emergency kit. So you’re a bike or subway kid, throw an extra shirt and your meds into your bag. Even planes will let you carry those on. Let your pipes drip. Sprinkle the ice melt. Make sure you can fit in the bathtub. Drink enough water and put on sunscreen.  Drive slow, but not too slow. Sometimes we need to admit that there are some effects of natural disasters we can prevent.

Act as a region or have a plan for regional disaster preparedness

As we saw in Atlanta with #snowgridlock, and of course famously with Katrina in New Orleans, the powers-to-be were not even ready for what they saw. Yes, you may salt the roads. Yes, the weatherman on TV may move the eye of the storm further south. But that doesn’t excuse why you don’t have enough money for the right amount of disaster preparedness.  It doesn’t allow you to blame the municipality next door that you don’t like and claim as a blight on society. Anyone who wants and needs to go to a shelter should be able to. If people want to guard their homes or stay outside, let them (I just warned them about their safety). However, if you as a municipality have no real plan for the weather, then yes, you deserve the shame that you get. Side note to all the issues involved with no transit in Atlanta. Yes having more MARTA trains could have helped.  Still,  the night this was all happening, I saw two trains come into the Greensboro station and sit there for 30 minutes to an hour longer than they should have. Remember when half of Manhattan’s tunnels flooded during Hurricane Sandy? Transportation breaks down sometimes. Sometimes.

Don’t laugh at or perpetrate problematic stereotypes of people in trouble.

We love to use weather events that are abnormal to bring up stereotypes, right? The only exception would probably be with earthquakes and tornadoes. I was quite disturbed with the coverage of the Southern #snowgridlock that was making fun of people sleeping and staying wherever they could for upwards of 24-48 hours, which in some cases meant Whole Foods, Home Depot, The Waffle House  and at worse their car claiming that this is why we as Southerners were so backwards. So all the folks that get stranded at Logan and JFK during northern storms are funny too? Oh and don’t get me started on the “refugees” of New Orléans from Hurricane Katrina.

Keep the Home Depot or _______________(business/school/church) Open To Make Sure People Are Ok

There’s a reason schools are routinely used as disaster shelters when people know that something big and bad is coming. They have room for tons of cots, they have massive cafeterias, many have locker rooms with lots of showers. Hence why the kids that were stuck at them were better off than the rest of us. What I loved about what happened in the 2014 Atlanta and Birmingham situation is that I was that so many of these non-traditional shelters stayed open and did what they could to keep people entertained and fed and the like. Southern hospitality is the one stereotype I love and I love it because that’s community and placemaking at its highest point.

Don’t Share Information That’s Not True

If you don’t listen to anything I say on this post, please listen to this, be careful what you tweet or share on social networks, especially when it comes to a major storm system or something else that is happening in real time. Hence why I shared multiple views of the Atlanta storm and emphasized the ground coverage being done in Atlanta by news outlets and Instagrams and Twitters from actual residents of the cities that were affected. Also, make sure your information on relief efforts is coming from the right area nonprofit. All Red Crosses are not the same and able to do the same things. Also, tweeting something like the name of someone who died before the family can get the phone call is also insensitive.

Feel Guilty When You Can’t Keep Something Bad from Happening

Some of us chatting about the Atlanta storm response were reminded of 2005 in Raleigh. I thought I was going to take the campus Wolfline bus back to my dorm , but instead all the buses stopped running and Hillsborough Street was gridlocked, along with much of the Triangle. All that kept me from doing is getting a ride home versus walking like I normally do. Other people were stranded at schools and offices too. Yet, this time Raleigh closed school early, preventing any surprises as far as weather from affecting the students and parents throughout the county. Yet, the folks who get hit by freakish tornadoes and 100 year floods can’t always be ready for the worst. That’s ok, just do your best as individuals and as a community to be ready.

So this ends my PSA on disaster preparedness and coping. Hopefully this reminder will help us continue to grow stronger communities, especially when we and the weather are at our worst.

Cities, Cityreads, Links

Placebook: Snow Crazed, Still Here

So yeah, this happened yesterday. 

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If you read the blog before noon, you’ll note that I had a note about the State of the Union last night. However, that speech would never be able to capture my shock at what has happened in Atlanta and Birmingham thanks to the storm. The Atlantic has a great analysis of the politics of the situation, from an Atlanta-area resident. Gawker started out making fun of the situation, but now has pictures of people taking shelter in drug stores and other 24 hour establishments. Kids are stuck in schools. I’ve had a number of people on my Facebook timeline with stories of either being stuck at work, abandoning cars or it taking them hours to get home, if they are home. If you want to follow what’s going on down there, here are direct links to WSB-TV and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Oh, and there’s snow in Myrtle Beach. Please be safe as you get home, go to work, or do whatever you absolutely need to do today in areas where the snow has driven you crazy.

I have more thoughts on this,  but for now, news of note on NC and the rest of the nation.

NC News Round-up

The Governor has declared a state of emergency due to the winter weather we saw yesterday.

Our jobless rate is going down, and those who file unemployment will now be required to go into an office to claim benefits for the first time.

A new hotel could be coming to Downtown Raleigh.

Charlotte is on this list of the most affordable cities in the world. 

Durham and Greensboro, followed by Raleigh, Charlotte and Winston-Salem have the highest Walk-Scores in the state. none of these are anywhere near not being car-dependent. 

National Roundup

Chicago wants to turn an entire neighborhood into a national park.

Cleveland wants to turn vacant lots into pop-up libraries, but using the settings of different books as themes for the spaces.

NYC is going after jaywalkers more aggressively.

Famous metro maps as Super Mario Brothers games. 

What’s possible if you commit to turning a strip mall into a real neighborhood.

How to see wildlife in an urban setting in the snow.

Detroit’s new downtown apartments are pricing out everyone but the rich.

 

 

Cities, Cityreads, Links

Placebook: It’s A Desert After All

This is Placebook. Here you will find the news you need every weekday to create and maintain awesome cities, towns, neighborhoods, farms and everything in between. Subscribe on the left to get this information in a daily email and share using the social buttons below.

So the USDA has declared parts of Greensboro a food desert. Honestly, when I wrote about the city as a food oasis, I acknowledged that this was only the case for those folks who had a car or could cart food on a bus or a bike or foot even. However, not everyone is able-bodied and a licensed driver and they shouldn’t have to be to get a basic meal. Also, once again, s/o to my city councilman, the mayor and the many other community leaders and members working to get more grocery options in East Greensboro. Now, for the round-up.

NC News Roundup

Here in Greensboro,a new children’s health clinic is opening, with the promise of another adult clinic in the future… Pyramids Village is just a mile away from the Renaissance Co-op and has managed to attract a few national chain stores, including three that just opened…the cold is weakening our waterlines…economic development leaders defend their record…annual count of homeless is expected to be lower…elsewhere around the Triad, High Point University’s plans for Oak Hollow Mall are on hold.

In Charlotte, city council leaders voted to invest in streetcar development, with the hopes they will receive federal funds next year for the remainder of the line.

Raleigh’s housing authority director has a new contract and a Durham coffee-house operated by a veteran, whose struggles were profiled twice by NPR, is now open.

In Asheville, a new hotel is set to be built…abandoned buildings torn down…Aldi opens and why there are not as many chain stores in Asheville, despite consumer demand.

In Wilmington, the mayor gives his state of the city address…zoning changes allow for smaller child care centers to open…the city is ranked as a good destination for young artists by PolicyMic…an editorial calls for more rec centers…and a long time restaurateur is hanging up her hat, but not closing the restaurant chain.

Nation and World Round-up

The New York/New Jersey based Super Bowl is expected to lose money.

The farm bill is set to cut food stamp funding by 1%.

The Guardian Cities launches with multiple good stories, including this outsiders perspective of what’s happened in New Orléans since Katrina.

Greater Greater Washington argues that Baltimore should get rid of their downtown jail…a young boy tells the story of a unique community in Baltimore, a rebel dirt bike gang.

The Atlantic Cities argues if streetcars are really transit outside of New Orleans…and Debra Fallows continues The Atlantic‘s coverage of the Greenville-Spartanburg area of South Carolina, this time with a focus on accents.

And finally, the role of black barbers from slavery to now in the community…how Greenwood,OK rebuilt after the riot that destroyed it in 1921 and how it’s coping now.

Uncategorized

Placebook: A Sense of Motion and Mobility

The Snowy Owl in DC. An expert on stealth motion and mobility. Photo Credit: Brandon Funkhouser.

First and foremost, congrats to Duncan Crary, for this write-up in the Albany Business Review, that area’s local business journal. He’s another young guy, in a smaller city, who’s managed to craft his own small, but fairly prosperous, living, by staging unique events and having a leg in hard labor. Hold your thoughts on him, as I want to address this notion of upward mobility in a bit more detail before the rest of the links.

I also want to put out a welcome to the place analysis blogosphere to Granola Shotgun. According to the about page, the name is supposed to reflect stereotypes of the average adherent of a liberal(granola) or conservative (shotgun) person and how the two will come together in this analysis. Will be interesting to see what he has to say and how he manages to balance both sets of views.

Now I want to get back to the notion of mobility and migration. The Census has now officially released numbers that support the moving company survey I posted a couple of weeks ago that states North Carolina as having the largest number of migrants since the last census. To piggyback on that, James Fallows, who has written a number of policy books and for the The Atlantic for many years, has been traveling the country studying the future of America. His latest report is from Greenville,SC, an area that leaders here in Greensboro have chosen to idolize and do as much as possible to recreate. What I love about Fallows latest article, is that he addresses two issues that I have with this need to copy Greenville. Are they diverse and are they open to the start-up technology/small maker culture in the same way that RTP is?  While there is a promise to deal with diversity later in the series, I am pleased with what I saw about technology in the article.

Meanwhile, Fallows colleague at The Atlantic, Michael O’Brien dares to ask the question, “Why is the American Dream Dead in the South?,” which piggybacks off of this article highlighting the geography of the American Dream . I want to directly quote one of O’Brien’s main reasonings from the research he bases his analysis on:

So it should be no surprise that the researchers found that racial segregation, income segregation, and sprawl are all strongly negatively correlated with upward mobility. But what might surprise is that it doesn’t matter whether the rich cut themselves off from everybody else. What matters is whether the middle class cut themselves off from the poor.

Moving onward to Greensboro, The Triad Business Journal published two articles along with a chart, on comments made by several leaders in the past few days on the state of economic development in Greensboro. Some new information and leads may come out of work session being held today between City Council and economic development leaders. Also, the Business Journal highlights a major, and ongoing change of the guard of leadership in Greensboro. A Facebook post also has some interesting comments.

I’d go into more of this, but that’s a post for another day. Let’s get on to the rest of the state, country and world.

North Carolina News Roundup

I want to commend the work that leaders in Winston-Salem and Greensboro have done to keep people from freezing on the streets during these cold snaps of weather.

More on Charlotte’s issues with upward mobility.

These are the busiest intersections in the Triad.

Scenes from Eastern North Carolina in the eyes of a former Raleigh city planner.

National and World Roundup

The top 21 Waffle Houses in the country, which is missing several notable North Carolina locations ;).

What every state’s signature drink cocktail is.

Why rail vs. pipeline is the wrong question and why trains are the most glorious way to travel.

How to conquer the supermarket.

A cute list of why Iowa rules.

A new association of railroad passengers has formed in Missouri and Illinois.

Finally, a snapshot of what an average home looked like in 1976 (according to Good Housekeeping).

Uncategorized

Placebook: Dreaming of Trains and Books

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This is Placebook. Here you will find the news you need every weekday to create and maintain awesome cities, towns, neighborhoods, farms and everything in between. Subscribe on the left to get this information in a daily email and share using the social buttons below.

Prior to waking up this morning, I had this dream about trains. I think my love of them, namely Amtrak, started at the age of five when we left the 80s-era Greensboro station bright and early in the morning, then popped out of the tunnels at Union Station to find my aunt and uncle right in the middle of one of those grand halls. At five it was all confusing, but I was hooked. In this dream, the train station was a smaller town version of Union, with two awesome bookstores.

Who knows where the dream came from. Maybe it was because I can see the Greensboro station from my window. Maybe it was because my current firm has rebuilt both the Greensboro and Burlington stations. Or possibly it was from attending another meeting of the Transit Alliance of the Piedmont(more info on that coming soon). Nevertheless, the dream was a great way to get started into another Friday. Now here’s the news:

News from Around North Carolina

Last night in Greensboro, over 200 people came out for a public meeting on the next steps for the Renaissance Community Co-Op, which include a possible purchase by Self-Help Ventures of Durham, which primarily helps nonprofit ventures get on their feet. If you still have ideas, remember to send them via this link.

Also in Greensboro, Action Greensboro is moving somewhere else downtown and the popular Cheesecakes by Alex is expanding into their space…Interactive Resource Center Executive Director Liz Seymour is stepping down in June…residents in Glenwood and UNCG working together to address neighborhood issues arising over campus expansion…Guilford Technical Community College students can now transfer directly to Guilford College…Guilford County Schools presented their State of Schools report Thursday night, emphasizing an increased focus on literacy…Downtown Greensboro, Inc. wins an award for putting on First Friday from the International Downtown Association…neighbors and leaders also met to discuss the potential “Project Haystack” development on the current prison farm…the state has yet to select contractors for the infrastructure work at PTI Airport.

Elsewhere around the state, former Governor Bev Perdue has launched a digital learning initiative…former Durham County commission Becky Heron dies…coyotes are hanging out in Downtown Raleigh…why the buildings collapsed near RDU Airport earlier this month…some state workers getting raises to prevent turnover and no in-state tuition for DACA students….white-tailed deer  welcome on Cherokee lands….Delta Airlines’s DC-9 will spend retirement at the Carolinas Aviation Museum…a new parking deck at Charlotte-Douglas airport may command more parking fees…EpiCenter development in Uptown Charlotte for sale…Duke Energy wants to pay less for rooftop solar…green energy jobs growing statewide.

News from Around the Nation and World

The American Planning Association has named its best cities for business travelers.

Ten things this guy learned about Clevelanders.

Former urban player and current Compton mayor Aja Brown enthusiastic about her city in this CBS interview.

A cat café is coming to San Francisco, similar to ones very popular in Japan.

Making eight rooms out of 420 square feet.

A new study from Harvard states that economic mobility has not really changed. The Washington Post and the New York Times have interesting spins on that concept.

The 50 most beautiful libraries in the world.

Some cool maps of Super Bowls past and present. Also, the case for a cold weather Super Bowl.

An idea to end class warfare in San Fransisco and a tangible proposal in the Bronx.

Pittsburgh area schools dump Teach for America.

Finally, a snowblower broke the windows (essentially the front and sides) of a New York City Apple Store.

Cities, Cityreads

Placebook: News and Views for January 23, 2014

This is Placebook. Here you will find the news you need every weekday to create and maintain awesome cities, towns, neighborhoods, farms and everything in between. Subscribe on the left to get this information in a daily email and share using the social buttons below.

Engage Greensboro Image, via Engage Greensboro MindMixer

A Message from Kristen

I first discovered MindMixer at a conference back in 2011. I was very excited to submit ideas to our conference planning committee and know they were considered. The software  is built for cities and other organizations to do public outreach without requiring people to attend meetings. It does not replace meetings, but allows for groups to get feedback from people who can’t attend meetings, but still care about the direction of where they live. Also, once you sign up for one site, you are logged in for any other MindMixer-powered site. In addition, the voting and points system on the site allows municipalities and organizations to award prizes to frequent commenters or those who have ideas that are voted up the most.

There are two MindMixer sites in the Triad area right now for people to use if they want to send feedback to government/planning officials. The first is the Piedmont Voice site, run by PART via a Sustainable Communities grant from the federal government. The other is Engage Greensboro. Engage Greensboro is run by the City of Greensboro and can be thought of as an extension to both the Speakers on the Floor segment of council meetings, along with public hearings and public feedback. While there are many categories of issues and policy needs that people can comment on, I want to draw attention to a feed just for the Renaissance Co-Op grocery. This week there was a public hearing for feedback on next steps, but with this feed, anyone who was not able to attend can submit their ideas and be heard by city officials.

North Carolina  Round-Up

News of note in the Triad area and throughout North Carolina

Promotions in the Greensboro city managers office due to the promotion of Assistant City Manager Jim Westmoreland.

A different neighborhood issue in Greensboro’s Glenwood neighborhood, this time, a scrutinized agreement between two neighbors.

In Winston-Salem, the 25-year battle to get a piece of land redeveloped.

The NC Museum of Art receives a Cassat.

Facebook users, check out these then and now pictures of the Charlotte skyline.

In a show of the power of youth and young professional entrepreneurship, these guys who I met at a entrepreneurship meet up when we were barely out of college 7 years ago, are now a major part of the retail renaissance in Downtown Raleigh.

Sen. Kay Hagan has a Democratic challenger and the mayor of Apex has resigned after 18 years to join the state DOT.

Nation and World Round-Up

Urbanism and placemaking news from around the nation and the world

Yes, the millennial drift to the cities is still real and happening not just in major cities, but some cities thought to be on the brink.

The latest on gentrification: how not all low-income people are afraid of it and a more concrete proposal to address it.

An update on the battle between the elderly men and the Queens, NY McDonalds.

The kinds of people you don’t want on your planning committee and the kinds of things you do want to do for your neighborhood. The benefits of Brazilian cities who have participatory city budgeting.

How drive-thrus are discriminatory to those without able bodies and cars.

Why worldwide megacities remain poor. What would happen if we paid the US poor a stipend.

What it means when you say no to bad development ideas. Also, a counter post to those who wish to reclaim flood zones that are occupied.

A graphic of what New York City could look like in 2050. Meanwhile, the AOL of China is building a corporate campus inside one large skyscraper. Meanwhile, Apple continues to build their suburban spaceship, but may lose potential workers because of its location.

Do you wonder what we mean when we talk about traditional new urbanism? Here’s a hint.

Today in transit technology: the benefits of bus tracking software on ridership and opinions of the bus and how Europe does in fact build streetcars, just not the same way US cities do.

Some fun reasons why everyone should visit Detroit.

And finally, the latest snowball fight at Dupont Circle, quickly becoming a DC tradition when and if it does snow in DC.

Cities, Cityreads, Links

Placebook: Kinda Snowy Now

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This is Placebook. Here you will find the news you need every weekday to know more about how to create and maintain awesome cities, towns, neighborhoods, farms and everything in between. Subscribe on the left to get this information in a daily email and share using the social buttons below.

Last night those of us in Greensboro  got our first honest dusting of the year.  It caused some accidents, including one that some folks’ s power blink and others go out for several hours. It’s also very cold again, but that’s not really news since it’s the middle of winter. What follows is news:

First, around the Triad area:

Greensboro has a new city manager already…Everything else that happened at council and going on in Greensboro politics this week via the #gsopol hashtag…What happened at  Winston-Salem  council last night.  PTI Airport will get more flights to New York…several prominent names are no longer on the Downtown Greensboro, Inc. board… A short profile of the two newest businesses in downtown Greensboro and a new development in downtown Winston-Salem…parents a Greensboro school are concerned with its namesake…and finally for the Triad roundup, Rockingham County officials pull the polls out of their schools, citing safety issues.

Elsewhere around the nation and world:

Check out the photo gallery of the DC Streetcar, as it makes its official arrival. Also, MinnPost details why buses can make too many stops.

Could Spartanburg, SC be your next business opportunity?

MLK Memorial in DC already a place for current protests, this time, postal workers using their day off to protest wage and safety issues.

London could use a boost in residential space from repurposing high-rises that never really took off. Also in London, ten years of Tube ridership on one map.
NPR to do a special series focusing on the impact of Latinos in America.
Bixi Bikeshare, the Montreal service which helped with the development of services in NYC, DC and Chicago, is officially bankrupt.
And finally two  great essays. One on how highways were wedged into towns and continue to bankrupt many as they become more and more expensive to maintain and the other on the positive benefits of a less drivable and more walkable culture, especially with the advent of new technology.