Neighborhood Innovation : Featured Stories

Cities are reinventing themselves in exciting new ways. Can small-scale projects have big impact? Join the Urban Innovation Exchange this September 24-26 in Detroit to explore creative projects driving neighborhood transformation.

For four years, The Food Trust's Night Markets have invigorated commercial corridors across the city, drawing hordes for strolling, snacking and engagement with the arts, while also providing an economic boost. On August 14, the phenomenon rolls into Mantua.

With a culture of collaboration, a willingness to change and a focus on creating the kind of urban environment that attracts creative talent, the Steel City has moved from gritty to green and is now poised for the next wave of growth.

Check out our picks for the week's top events.

Many of Philadelphia's inner-ring suburbs are recapturing that Main Street magic -- their resurgent downtown districts feature cool bars, creative dining and plenty of charm. To explore, all you need is a SEPTA ticket and an open mind.

In an effort to upend gentrification and boost struggling areas, community groups and artists are banding together to throw blockbuster events and push creative development strategies.

Flying Kite continues our look at the fate of the city's shuttered schools. In North Philadelphia, a valuable neighborhood institution is caught between community interests and an ascendent university.

Check out our picks for the week's top events!

This century-old neighborhood institution closed its doors last year. As with other schools shuttered by the district, its future is in limbo. Could it become a vocational school? A community space? A mixed-use hub? Time will tell.

An area of West Philadelphia earns a prestigious national designation, but according to stakeholders and residents, this decree from President Obama is actually a symbol of the changes already underway in Mantua, Belmont, Mill Creek, Powelton and West Powelton.

Friday's showcase of 'ideas worth sharing' made an argument for Philadelphia as 'The New Workshop of the World.' Speakers touched on education, development, access and modern manufacturing.

Recently passed legislation will help create the largest municipal land bank in the country. But what's truly miraculous is the motley crew of backers who helped make it happen, from developers to affordable housing advocates to urban farmers and community groups.

Transit hubs across the country have the potential to be more than just places we pass through on our way to somewhere else -- all it takes it a little imagination. The process is already underway at 30th Street Station.

This post-industrial corridor is the living, breathing heart of South Philly. City planners, residents and local businesses all claim to share a vision for its future -- so why is change so slow?