Outside Inspiration

The most successful and resilient development patterns include a mix of land “uses”—in other words, it allows residential units, offices, retail, restaurants, and the like to exist in close proximity to each other. More

According to a 2016 report by ReFED, a collaboration of organizations attempting to reduce and track food waste, 63 million tons of food in the United States is wasted either by being sent to a landfill or left unharvested and discarded... More

As major brands continue to pledge to reduce plastic packaging, bio-based packaging companies have positioned themselves as alternatives to recycled plastic products by offering options made with seaweed and mushrooms. More

Bloomington-Normal’s next big thing in playgrounds is all but complete — a $5 million, 16-acre natural playground at Colene Hoose Elementary School in Normal. More

Students at four Calgary schools had the opportunity to re-imagine how their school streets would look in a perfect world. And now, their designs will come to life this spring. More

Janelle Witcher thinks of the library as her second home. She’s a single mom who lives in Richmond, and a few times a week, she drives her four children to Henrico County’s Fairfield branch. It’s a place where her children... More

The Pedestrians in Peoria, Mary Hosbrough and Jennifer Jacobsen-Wood, began the project two years ago in November 2019, right before the pandemic caused shutdowns across the country. Now, the duo said they have officially completed walking the city’s 1,439 streets,... More

ChiFresh Kitchen’s worker-owners can see their future in the building. It’s a long, six-thousand-square-foot former corner grocery, with an arched roof and big front windows facing the corner of East 71st Street and MLK Drive, in the Grand Crossing neighborhood... More

Soulardarity made it a mission to use local companies to build the solar-street lights. Ypsilanti, Michigan-based Solartonic and Holland, Michigan-based Solar Lights USA, are both involved with the on-going work. More

Homelessness is growing in communities across the United States as housing becomes increasingly unaffordable and public systems fail to support people who need assistance, forcing thousands to sleep outside or in shelters. More