Most major conurbations in the developed world pride themselves on continually updating their built environment, whether it is through urban renewal programs or through the process of creative destruction, which reinvents certain areas (such as the demolition of old factories for a new planned residential development). In this process, individuals may forget about these seemingly obsolete...

Self-proclaimed "gangsta gardener" Ron Finley is changing the conversation on food and community in his south-central Los Angeles neighborhood. On a mission to transform his neighborhood "from food desert to food forest," Finley successfully reformed land-use laws to expand access to sustainable produce and increase his neighbors' capacity to grow their food. In his TED Talk, he discusses his...

The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) Medicine and Health Information Server progresses the Academy's role in the development of a quality health care system and in providing a forum for the formulation, review and analysis of policy issues affecting the public health, including, those relating to the HIV epidemic, adolescent health, and the interaction of pediatric poverty with social and...

City trying to buy Methodist Hospital in eastern New Orleans http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/10/city_trying_to_buy_methodist_h.html Hospitals Fall Victim to Spreading Credit Crisis [Free registration required] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/business/15hospital.html?ref=business Credit Crisis Spreads to Hospitals, Colleges [Real...

The Urban Institute provides high-quality research on economic and social policy, addressing topics such as education, employment, crime, and governance. This clutch of documents looks at the transformation of the Chicago Housing Authority and the provision of public housing in the city. The five briefs "describe key successes and challenges faced by CHA and its residents." Titles address topics...