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Canadian Urbanism Uncovered

Urban Planet: Detroit’s Brewster-Douglass projects, the Fastest Speed Limit in the US

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Urban Planet is a daily roundup of blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. We’ll be on the lookout for websites outside the country that approach themes related to urban experiences and issues.

• On newgeography, photographer Jonathan Paul Castellino captures Detroit’s Brewster-Douglass housing project. The buildings, now 60 years old, sit empty. As plans for its demolition take place, Castellino offers a window into their design before it is gone forever.

• 21 NFL teams play in stadiums that were built or renovated in the last 25 years using tax-free public borrowing. These tax breaks, originally created to help local governments cut their borrowing costs for building infrastructure such as roads, sewers and schools, have supported the development of many stadiums – many of which have contributed significantly to the value of sport franchises. Yet, there remains considerable uncertainty about the economic benefits resulting from these structures. (Bloomberg)

• Texas is home to the fastest speed limit in the United States. Last month, commissioners voted to raise the speed limit to 85 m.p.h. (roughly 137 k.p.h) on a section of State Highway 130 between the Austin and San Antonio. In a state where the law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets was repealed, this comes as no surprise. As New York Times author Manny Fernandez puts it, “Texans do not necessarily love speed so much as they hate limits.”

• This week, New Yorkers marked the 11th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. To acknowledge this event and the loss of an iconic part of the New York skyline, Brian August launched an app that allows users to recreate the pre-2001 skyline by pointing their camera in the direction of the towers. Users can upload photos of their skyline and memories of the towers to 110stories.com. (Inhabitat)

Image from Inhabitat

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