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A GROWING CITY – Jersey City rents are high among major cities in the U.S. but apparently have other positive factors JERSEY CITY -- GOBankingRates, a personal finance website , published a study that ranked Jersey City as one of the most expensive cities to rent a one-bedroom apartment in the country. When compared to 50 major cities nationwide , Jersey City came in fifth, according to the study. The city is also one of the places where rents are increasing the most. However, Jersey City also rated as second best in the nation for walkability. And the study said costs for basic utilities were third lowest on the same list of 50 cities. "While Jersey City continues to grow as a destination, we have been mindful of the importance of keeping the city affordable for residents and have placed a major emphasis on creating affordable housing , including two 80/20 inclusionary projects on the waterfront," said city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill . "In four years, the Fulop adm...

Roughly 220 children in lower-income families in Bloomington qualify for but do not have access to affordable pre- kindergarten education . In an effort to change this, Alex Crowley, director of the city’s Economic and Sustainable Development Department , said a state-sponsored initiative, On My Way Pre-K pilot program, which provides funding to programs serving 4-year-olds from families with household incomes at or below 127 percent of the federal poverty level , is coming to Monroe County next year, and it is estimated it can help about 50 children. That begs the question: What can the city and others do to make sure no children who are eligible for pre-kindergarten are left out? As part of that answer, the city is proposing investing $100,000 to support quality child care for lower-income families. “Every dollar initially invested in early education programs for children from low-income families is estimated to generate $4 to $11 in economic benefits over a child’s lifetime,” May...

For those that have spent even a small amount of time in South America, there will always be certain details that stay with them. The ever-present soundtrack, be it from bars, market stalls, processions, or, most commonly, a dodgy mobile phone speaker . The veritable selection of street dogs all vying for your attention, or the last bite of your empanada, and colour – colour literally everywhere. Rainbow costumes and national flags, the bright red of Coca-Cola signs and local beer companies and the kaleidoscopic hues of colourful walls that can be found in almost every town and city. It seems fitting then, that artists from across the world look to South America as the perfect canvas for their work, and why this varied continent is home to so much exceptional street art . And yet, graffiti here is so much more than simply art, or the curated outpourings of a disenfranchised youth. In a part of the world that has seen so much turmoil, lived through tumultuous civil wars and faces...

1. If you can make it here… New York has long been the ultimate testing ground for businesses. But the city’s population density also makes it an important laboratory for startups, especially in today’s on-demand economy. Food- delivery pioneer Seamless survived the dot-com crash, paving the way for the arrival of meal-kit services such as Blue Apron and Plated a decade later. Related View this story in its original print layout Density has also been instrumental to the growth of ride-hailing and car-sharing companies. Most of them, including Uber and Lyft first gained their footing in smaller cities, then made New York their biggest market. Via, the on-demand ride-pooling service, launched here in 2013, is the exception: Its founders chose New York, figuring riders packed together on subways and buses wouldn’t need much persuading to share a car with strangers, especially when it cost just $5. article continues below advertisement App- based transportation startups have flocked t...

The detention pond at the former ALCOA Inc. West Plant is complete, as the redevelopment continues. The Alcoa Board of Commissioners got a bird’s- eye view Monday of the new detention pond , which is located in the curve where Hall Road meets Alcoa Highway , thanks to a stationary webcam the city has trained on the construction site. Five photos taken over the course of one day — Wednesday, Aug. 16 — show how the detention pond area evolved as it was prepped for seeding, explained Andrew Sonner , assistant director/chief engineer for Alcoa’s Public Works and Engineering Department. The rectangular portion shown at the bottom of the photos is the “fore bay,” he told commissioners, which is where sediment settles before clean water continues over the berms and “meanders” toward the point of exit, where it will join Culton Creek . Commissioners learned at a briefing in July that an underground spring on the property could feed a water feature on the West Plant site ,...

Is NYC going through an affordable housing crisis ? To get a better understanding of the city’s rental market, RentHop compared median rents for a two-bedroom apartment in various parts of the city to the most recent median income data available at the neighborhood level. It turns out that just nine out of the 139 neighborhoods included in the study had median asking rents that could be afforded with 35 percent of the neighborhood’s median income. RentHop added an additional 5 percent to the recommended affordability of 30 percent to make room for the income growth that has taken place since the Census data was released. The map above shows the median asking rent of two-bedroom apartments in neighborhood tabulation areas (NTAs) across New York City and how that relates to the income of those neighborhoods. Darker shades of red indicate lower affordability , while the few green areas indicate that median asking rents are within reach for the neighborhood’s median household income . M...

Cedar Rapids residents continue fight against affordable housing project as City Council prepares to make decision May 18, 2017 at 5:40 pm | Print View CEDAR RAPIDS — Neighbors to a proposed affordable housing complex in the northwest quadrant say they are frustrated with unresponsive elected officials as the project that months ago appeared dead now appears primed to pass. CommonBond Communities, a St. Paul, Minnesota- based nonprofit affordable housing developer , wants to build the $9 million, 45- unit Crestwood Ridge Apartments at 1200 Edgewood Road NW . Neighbors have fought back but been painted as biased, city leaders won ’t give them a fair chance and an east-west divide is fueling opinions, said Boyd Severson, 65, who has been part of a core group of opposition. “People are aligning as east side versus west side , at least that is the appearance,” said Severson, who is among 769 people who have signed a petition against rezoning to allow the development. “People say our...

Set in a broad valley just to the north of the confluence of the Platte and Missouri Rivers, Omaha is the largest city between Minneapolis and Denver. With a youthful population and a sophisticated culture, it's also one of the most dynamic and inviting. Once you've spent some time in the so-called "Gateway to the West," you'll have a hard time moving on. Omaha Attractions As a major center for business and culture, Omaha attracts countless visitors from around the country each year. The city continues to celebrate its rich history and maintains several historic properties, including the old Douglas House Hotel and a working 19th-century steamboat on the Missouri River. Omaha also features all of the high-culture institutions that you'd expect from a major city, including the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. As a regional shopping destination , the city entices visiting shoppers with deep discounts and innovative p...

The lack of affordable housing and the city's overburdened shelters led to a range of possible ways to combat the problem—but it was inspiration from the houseless community themselves ("houseless" is a preferred term within the community) that led to the start of an innovative solution.  In the spring of 2016, a group called the Village Coalition—made up of advocates, activists, and houseless individuals—joined forces with several student fellows and faculty Sergio Palleroni and Todd Ferry from the Center for Public Interest Design (CPID), a research and action center within the Portland State University 's School of Architecture. Working together, they created the POD Initiative (Partners On Dwelling) to address  houselessness in the city. They observed that the houseless community had been establishing their own informal "villages" around the city. As a result, the group reached out to the greater architecture community , asking them to apply their...