Maybe I should start an entire category of “it was just a matter of time before this happened”, because here’s yet another one…

The Green Exchange in Chicago will be the first silver LEED-certified

tenants. Schedule for a Fall 2007 opening, it should be no surprise the 250,000 s.f. concrete loft building to be renovated is in Chicago, already regarded as the most green-minded major city in the U.S.

Regarded as the first (and so far only) green

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When looking for creative class benchmarks in culture, placemaking and policy, it’s becoming increasingly necessary to look overseas.  Two such countries that are on the creative rise are China and Great Britain.

China

The best place to start understanding China’s impact is in Fast Company magazine cover story, China’s New Creative Class, “You can sense it in the trendy restaurants and slick boutiques popping up in major cities - and in the gritty ex-warehouse and factory districts where

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A few months ago we wrote that neighborhoods can now be green certified, via the US Green Building Council’s LEED for Neighborhood Development program.

Now that green building is becoming more of an expectation for emerging populations, here’s their criteria for what a green neighborhood should have, with (R) representing requirements and others below it being assigned points for ratings:

Smart Location & Linkage
(R) Smart Location - Walkability, Proximity to Public Transportation

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Each year the innovative folks at Apartment Therapy award the smallest, coolest apartments across the country, and now around the world. Now when they say smallest, they really do mean smallest (ie some winning pads are 300 s.f.), but they also hold true to being utterly cool as well.

First place (top image), London - This tiny 300 s.f. residence won for its adaptability to different uses, moods. The kitchen and work areas can actually be concealed! Notice how the tops of the chairs fit right

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What is transparency tyranny? From Trendwatching.com: “Old economy fog is clearing: no longer can incompetence, below-par performance, ignored global standards, anti-social & anti-eco behavior, or opaque pricing be obscured. In its place has come a transparent, fully informed marketplace, where producers have no excuse left to underperform.

Transparency tyranny represents what people really think of what’s out there - think The Daily Show in each and every one of us. It’s no longer just the

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Nowadays, one affordable housing strategy isn’t enough to make a difference. You need several all at once, and the Urban Land Institute illustrates just that in their article, Housing the Masses. Here are some of the programs that need to be combined:

Inclusionary zoning - This is esssentially an affordable housing requirement as a % of total units, often 15%-20%. San Diego, Tallahassee, Palm Beach, and Key West, Florida, have recently passed such ordinances. L.A. requires 20% of housing in

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Land trusts, like the Trust for Public Land, are widely known for purchasing and permanently conserving parks and natural lands. Now a new form of land trust, such as one created by the California Community Foundation in 2003, are preserving land for housing affordability. Partnered with private sector developers that specialize in workforce housing**, building costs are lowered by 30 to 50 percent. In exchange for being able to buy a home below market value, the owner agrees to sell the home

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We all know Amazon.com serves the world’s goods, but how about if you just wanted to buy online from local neighborhood shops?  Not only that, but what if delivery was free?!  Well Pop to the Shops is another one of those ‘it was a matter of time’ services, though only in the UK.

What are the benefits to the consumer?
- Most local shops are open fewer hours and days, so this expands their hours to 24/7.
- Buy from all the stores in the neighborhood and pay once.
- Indie stores offer many

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MySpace, Wikipedia, YouTube… are all making money hand over fist for its owners based on the crowdsourcing model where thousands of its users contribute their time for free.  Well, now that more and more companies are using free time from consumers to determine their future products from potato chips to electronics, it was a matter of time before they were allowed to make key decisions and share in the profits as well.

Some examples (and I’ll add to the list over time):

Profit sharing and

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What are the words often associated with Beta Generation writer Jack Kerouac? Free spirit, bohemian, unconventional, counter-culture...

It was only natural that he should provide the DNA for the 60 urban residences to rise from a one-acre lot in Denver surrounded by railyards and vacant industrial buildings dating back to the 1880s, now officially named the Jack Kerouac Lofts. Endorsed by the Kerouac family, it’s not surprising that the developer is Urban Neighborhoods Inc., founded by

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