Latest news with #urbanredevelopment
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bob Embry, retiring from the Abell Foundation, saw Baltimore's potential
As Robert C. 'Bob' Embry leaves his role as president of the Abell Foundation, it is time to reflect on his remarkable role in Baltimore and its neighborhoods. Before his days at the Abell Foundation, Embry was the city's housing commissioner (1967 to 1977) while also controlling the quasi-public downtown redevelopment agency, Charles Center Inner Harbor Management. Few realized the power Embry held. Embry could be quiet and self-effacing, even aloof, all while flexing muscle over the city of Baltimore. As a Harvard-trained lawyer, he also knew how things really work — and can work — in an aging city. He often let others take the credit while he pulled strings and got the job done. He worked with his deputy, M. Jay Brodie and wisely let Mayor William Donald Schaefer take all the bows and the credit. Schaefer was dazzlingly adept at putting on a show to open Embry's projects — once even dressing in a bathing suit costumes to great fanfare. To the public, it all appeared seamless as Baltimore emerged from its post-World War II paralysis. While the old downtown was patched up, the Inner Harbor rose to new heights, flying in the face of critics and doubters who said it would forever belong to the city's homeless residents. (It did not hurt that President Lyndon B. Johnson funded the early harbor reconstruction with a generous supply of federal funds, however.) Embry was a connoisseur of bold and risk-taking architecture. He sought out Moshe Safdie, the visionary Israeli-Canadian-American architect, to create a plan for Coldspring Newtown on the edge of the Jones Falls Valley near the Cylburn Arboretum. He took risks to get it built — or mostly built. Some thought it a wacky idea, but it was innovative. About the same time Embry backed the then-startling idea of urban homesteading, better known as the 'dollar house' concept. He found the money (often federal) to fund his plan and, by 1974 allowed a small band of people to reclaim the Stirling Street houses in the Oldtown Urban Renewal District. Urban homesteading — or buying a vacant house for a token $1 — was an enticing concept, but fraught with practical pitfalls. The cost of total custom renovation was expensive and required a reliable army of commercial rebuilders, plumbers, roofers and electricians. The onus fell to schoolteachers and social workers, who were often acting as their own general contractors. After Stirling Street, Embry greenlit concentrated homesteading projects in other pockets of Baltimore. Soon, we had Otterbein and Barre Circle, and all of a sudden, a sizable swatch of downtown Baltimore was on the rise. There were disappointments, too. Despite the care and money put into the rebuild and design at the Oldtown Mall (a portion of Gay Street in Northeast Baltimore), it failed not long after this historic shopping street reopened. The urban pedestrian mall's business collapse may have been linked to the 320,000 persons who have left Baltimore since 1970. Embry's attention wasn't focused solely on housing, however. One Monday night, after the City Council met, I ran into him as he sat alone at a table at the old Horn & Horn restaurant on East Baltimore Street. He called me over to tell me that the city (meaning he and his close associates) were going to reopen and run the old Morris A. Mechanic Theatre. This was a stretch — after all, the housing department would now control a commercial theater under the authority that it was squarely in an urban renewal district. The closure of the Mechanic, only a few years after its 1967 gala opening, was a real bummer for downtown Baltimore. The Mechanic's locked doors seemed to say the city was dying. Embry, who was also a powerful string puller behind the old Baltimore City Fair, made sure the Mechanic reopened and succeeded. Some 22,000 persons backed the reopening plan by paying for season subscriptions. Within a few years lines of theater patrons snaked around the block to buy tickets for 'A Chorus Line,' and Carol Channing and Vincent Price were headlining shows downtown. He also headed a public housing agency, ensuring apartments were maintained. Embry was Baltimore's civic architecture czar. He gave us the National Aquarium as designed by Peter Chermayeff of Cambridge Seven Associates, as well as the Columbus Center, just to the east along Pratt Street. As head of the Abell Foundation, Embry continued to influence Baltimore's architecture. By 2012, a new John and Francis Angelos University of Baltimore School of Law at Charles Street and Mount Royal Avenue, was complete. The foundation sponsored a design competition and paid $50,000 each to to three finalist designers; the winner was a firm from Stuttgart, Germany. The results made a bold statement. Embry saw Baltimore's potential and worked to make the best of it. Have a news tip? Contact Jacques Kelly at and 410-332-6570.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Denver's Sun Valley neighborhood near Empower Field at Mile High gets full makeover
For years, Denver's Sun Valley neighborhood just south of Empower Field at Mile High has essentially been a construction site. The efforts to redevelop the area have been in the works for over a decade. But, slowly, community members are now returning to the place they call home. CBS "I've got to see the changes of it being neighbors walking outside, to everyone being in these new, nice buildings with air conditioning and dishwashers," neighborhood resident Maccarah Vaugh told CBS Colorado. "And seeing the kids grow up, it's been beautiful." Vaughn is a single mother who had to relocate during construction. The Denver Housing Authority tore down its public housing built in the 1950s to replace it with nearly three times the amount of housing, community areas, improved infrastructure, and even a small market. For her, it's been more than worth it now that she's back. "It has been a very positive thing," Vaughn said. "I see that it's helped us with being able to walk outside in our neighborhoods, on the sidewalks, at nighttime with the lights, and more people are out." DHA CEO Joaquín Cintrón Vega hopes other cities will take notice of their approach in this massive affordable housing redevelopment, which was heavily focused on asking community members for their input. "We are very intentional about creating this model that can be followed, not only regionally but nationally," Cintrón Vega said. "You know, making sure that, as we are tasked to provide places to go home and those beautiful apartments, we all are also mindful about the healthy environment that should be present for those families and individuals, and providing some additional amenities for them." DHA obtained over $30 million in federal grants and more than $60 million from a city of Denver bond program to spearhead the project. The final apartment building will open later this year, and, in total, seven new multifamily buildings serving nearly 1,000 households will be built. The final leg of the redevelopment project will establish Sun Valley Riverfront Park along the South Platte River. The first 5.5 acres of the eventual 11-acre recreational space will begin construction in 2026. According to DHA, the area has been home to some of the city's most vulnerable residents. With 94% of the housing market subsidized before redevelopment, it was important for them to improve the area, not push people out. "The hardest part of gentrification is the displacement," said Erin Clark, DHA's chief real estate investment officer. "Changing a community into something that is different than what it was before at its core -- and where the people who made that community valuable in the first place no longer have a place to call home or feel welcome there -- that is exactly the opposite of what we've sought to do here."
Malay Mail
26-05-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
KL's urban makeover must keep its soul and honour its roots, says Fahmi to DBKL
KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 — The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has been urged to carefully examine historical elements to be retained in urban redevelopment involving 139 identified areas, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. He said the retention of historical elements is crucial to serve as memories, especially for the original residents of a place, in the pursuit of sustainable and resilient development. 'This area was once a squatter area consisting of wooden houses, due to relocation during the construction of the New Pantai Expressway (NPE). So, there is some history here because some residents, including my staff, were relocated to this area once upon a time. 'So, they have memories of growing up in this area, so that future generations know that before they were born, in previous generations, there was such a community. 'I believe this will help us have strong roots, including in terms of culture, identity, and memories of the place where we were born and raised,' he said. Fahmi, who is also the Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai, said this when met by reporters after officiating the groundbreaking ceremony for Taman Rimba Bukit Kerinchi at Pantai Sentral Park, developed by IJM Land and Amona Group, here today. Also present were DBKL Planning Executive Director Datuk Zulkurnain Hassan, IJM Land Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Datuk Tony Ling, and Director cum CEO of Amona Group, Datuk Che Hasnadi Che Hassan. Fahmi said that for Lembah Pantai, several areas including Taman Bukit Angkasa have been identified for redevelopment due to housing projects developed 30 to 40 years ago, whereby infrastructure, such as lifts, are now in a dilapidated and worn-out condition. 'To ensure that all residents, especially owners, benefit, we need clear laws. Therefore, DBKL's aspiration to assist in the redevelopment of these 139 areas around Kuala Lumpur needs to move in tandem with a new act, namely the Urban Renewal Act,' he said. Meanwhile, he said thousands of trees, including Meranti Damar, Meranti Daun, and Merawan Siput Jantan species, will be replanted at Taman Rimba Bukit Kerinchi, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year. 'I have asked the developer to consider several aspects, including the history of the area, so that it can be incorporated into the design of the park. 'If we look at the Kuala Lumpur area, there are communities that have long been in certain areas before they were developed, and I hope here we can celebrate that history by incorporating it either in the design or the selection of trees. 'Once upon a time, the Kampung Kerinchi community informed that there were several areas used as places where the community came to find bamboo to be cut and sold, so maybe we can look at what species they are,' he said. — Bernama
Zawya
19-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Egypt's PM reviews development progress for former Imbaba airport, Aziz Ezzat area
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly chaired a meeting on Sunday to follow up on the implementation of redevelopment plans for the former Imbaba Airport site and the Aziz Ezzat area in Giza. The meeting was attended by Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities Sherif El-Sherbiny; Giza Governor Adel El-Naggar; Chairperson of the Urban Development Fund Khaled Siddiq; and senior officials from relevant government bodies. At the start of the meeting, the Prime Minister underscored the importance of adopting a comprehensive and integrated approach to upgrading unplanned urban areas. He emphasized the need to improve service quality, diversify amenities, and make better use of public parks, all in alignment with Egypt's broader urban development strategy. Minister Sherif El-Sherbiny presented an update on the Imbaba Airport redevelopment project, noting that rehabilitation is underway for 117 residential buildings. To date, external façades of 93 buildings have been refurbished—an 80% completion rate. Drainage and water testing, along with defect repairs, have been finalized in 100 buildings, representing 85.5% completion. Full renovations have been completed in 37 buildings, and electricity services have been activated in 18. The Minister also highlighted the investment potential linked to the project. El-Sherbiny further discussed plans for 'Giza Park,' emphasizing the goal of maximizing the value of its prime location. Proposals include enhancing visitor services, transforming an adjacent building into a cultural center, upgrading infrastructure and green spaces, and allocating space for seasonal exhibitions to support government programs for productive families. Khaled Siddiq, Chairperson of the Urban Development Fund, provided an overview of efforts to redevelop the Kitkat district, which spans 351 feddans, including the 42-feddan Aziz Ezzat housing area. He described the Kitkat area as an unplanned district comprising public housing, educational, and industrial facilities in urgent need of comprehensive re-planning. Siddiq confirmed ongoing coordination with the Giza Governorate to develop an operational framework for the area's redesign. Governor Adel El-Naggar also reviewed the governorate's coordinated efforts with relevant authorities to advance the redevelopment of both the Imbaba Airport site and the Aziz Ezzat area.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Manchester park will be 'catalyst' for area's development, council says
An industrial wasteland in a city which has been transformed into a "beautiful green" parkland will become the "catalyst" for major redevelopment works, a councillor has said. The former Central Retail Park on Great Ancoats Street in Manchester has been converted into Ancoats Green park, equipped with open spaces, new play areas and accessible will open to the public on Saturday and forms part of a wider £40m Manchester City Council programme to redevelop the Ancoats area of the city centre. Council leader Bev Craig said the new parkland space gave "a real chance to regenerate an area of the city that has sat empty for too long". The council bought the site, which closed down in 2019, for £ areas with accessible equipment - including the city's only slide for wheelchair users - open grassed areas, footpaths and space for small events, all form part of the new city centre park. Its opening supports the building of 1,500 new homes first council-owned This City housing development at No. 1 Ancoats Green is expected to be completed this said: "We were really keen to take a bit of land that people didn't know much about, that had grass on it but was hidden away, and work with the local community to create nice play facilities and a lovely space."We have turned this area into what will be a thriving place for people to live." The project has used upcycled materials throughout, including referencing historical flint glass works in the park features. Lindsay Humblet, from Planit Architects who helped design the park, told BBC Radio Manchester: "The biggest is the huge new slide which sits within a 10 metre bottle, and we did find the original wine bottle which is hard to believe but it came from the site. "We want to create a place for everybody." Mr Humblet added: "I hope there will be an ownership and a pride around this space for years to come." The park has been funded by Homes England, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority via the Brownfield Land Fund, and the city council.A community event will take place on 17 May to celebrate the park's opening, hosted by This City. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
