Author Archives: Howard Gillette

Tapping “Legacy Assets” in Post-Industrial Cities

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Howard Gillette
The Inquirer has published a smart essay today about the conversion of abandoned properties to new uses, what the University of Pennsylvania’s Mark Alan Hughes and Elise Harrington call “the arbitrage of legacy assets.”  They cite the Philadelphia Navy Yard … Continue reading →
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In Addressing Poverty, Region Matters

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Howard Gillette
Earlier this week Rutgers-Camden hosted a landmark conference on urban poverty focused on the city of Camden. The convergence of  Harvard’s William Julius Wilson (The Truly Disadvantaged), Princeton’s Douglas Massey (American Apartheid), and the University of Minnesota’s Myron Orfield  (American … Continue reading →
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New Haven’s “Downtown Crossing” A Start in Rectifying Urban Renewal Fiasco, but Where’s the Neighborhood?

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Howard Gillette
The city of New Haven is trying to make up for one of the biggest mistakes to come out of the era of its own heralded program of urban renewal:  partial construction of the Oak Street Connector, intended to bring … Continue reading →
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Dire Detroit

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Howard Gillette
Now that Michigan has stepped in to take over the city of Detroit, we can expect even more commentary on the city and its dismal condition.  In that process, there is bound to be further comment about Charlie Leduff’s Detroit: … Continue reading →
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Detroit “Finacial Crisis” Worth Watching

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Howard Gillette
Sick of hearing about Detroit?  The city is everywhere, in the news, in two shows at the National Building Museum in Washington, now featured in a best-selling book out only a few weeks. We’re heard about the city’s decline forever. … Continue reading →
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In Camden, Fighting the Good Fight is not Enough

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Howard Gillette
               The Inquirer’s Claudia Vargas has published today a wrenching tale of the continued struggle to make do in Camden, now almost universally referred to in the press both as the nation’s poorest and most dangerous city.  The essay attracted … Continue reading →
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