Economy
City Branding: What Role in Placemaking? #TheGlobalGrid Pre-Chat Post
by Sarah Essbai
Cities around the world are competing to attract talent, investment, and business; the pillars of economic success and growth. The effects can be found in planning documents, economic development strategies and growth vi...
Book Review of “The New Urban Crisis” by Richard Florida
by Karsen Maruca
In "The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities Are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class - And What We Can Do about It," author Richard Florida identifies and wrestles with one of the great...
What makes a business 'sustainable'? Here are two examples of award-winning green businesses in Boston
by Alyssa Curran
Pop Quiz: what is a sustainable business? From the first Earth Day in 1970 to the hundreds of Chief Sustainability Officers appointed in corporations and city governments today, “going green” has incrementally come in...
How Berlin Wall's Fall Increased Access to Green Public Open Spaces
by Brittany Garcia
The wise Kermit the Frog once said, “It’s not easy being green,” and he couldn’t have been more right. “Why is that?” you may ask. The simple answer to your question: urbanization. According to United Nations fore...
The Global Grid's Holiday Book List - 2017/2018 Winter Edition
by Sarah Essbai
Holidays are for family, friends, good food, getaways and postponed reading in our favorite nooks. At The Global Grid, the holidays have always been the occasion to review and update our books-to-read (or re-read) list. ...
Historic Preservation in Boston: The Antidote to “Heritage Décor?”
by Alyssa Curran
To preserve or to build anew? The significance of preserving historic structures and places is often debated, typically falling into arguments related to aesthetics, budgets, cultural identity, economic development, and ...
Greenbuild 2017: Turning a “Sleepy Country into an Innovation Nation”
by Alyssa Curran
The annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo has been hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council since 2002, drawing together professionals from across the green building industry. The event includes an expo sh...
Your Guide to Joining The Global Grid Monthly Twitter Chat #TheGlobalGrid
by Sarah Essbai
Every third Wednesday of the month, join our community of urban development, building professionals, and enthusiasts in an hour-long chat on Twitter, from 12:00 p.m. to 01:00 p.m. PT, to discuss a wide-range of urban top...
Berlin, Germany is Taking Aggressive Action for Housing Affordability
by Brittany Garcia
What do you think of when you think of Berlin? For many, the first conceptions are Brandenburger Tor and Eastside Gallery (Formerly, The Berlin Wall). These famous landmarks have been embedded into the face of Berlin ...
How Can Florence, Italy Retain its Authenticity in the Midst of Globalization & Tourism?
by Michele Katora
Firenze. Florence. The birth of the Renaissance, home of de' Medici, Michelangelo, Donatello, Dante, Brunelleschi, and countless others who remain utterly timeless. Yet here we are centuries later, admiring from the ...
Portland, Oregon's Green Loop Set to Transform Transportation in the Central City
by Kevin Gooley
Over the next twenty years, estimates are showing that Portland, Oregon could grow by approximately 42%, meaning about 260,000 new residents in an already populous city. Much of this new growth is going to be concen...
Legalized Cannabis & Land Use Regulations in Portland, Oregon
by Kevin Gooley
For decades, Oregon has been a trailblazer in progressive cannabis culture. In 1973 it became the first state to decriminalize possession and use. In 1998, The Oregon Medical Marijuana Act allowed cannabis to be cult...