Neighborhood

When I want to escape the horrors of the world, I spend an afternoon browsing the highly curated selection of snacks, wine and pantry goods at one of a growing number of superettes around town. You know, the mini markets that tout tinned fish, artisanal sweets, chile crisp and tea towels?My eyes play ping pong from one product to the next, with no shortage of things to ogle. Stuff and more stuff. Most of it is edible. I want it all.There’s usually a case with prepared food that I can pick up for later. And if I’m lucky, a…

A shift in demographics. Affordable apartments transformed into luxury condos. A coffee shop called something like “Brew Slut.”The signs of gentrification take many forms. A newly opened art gallery can serve both as a communal space and a harbinger of the displacement to come. Remodeled homes might boost a street’s curb appeal but then drive up rents in the ensuing months and years.There are plenty of ways to tell when gentrification is coming to a community; rising home prices and an influx of trendy shops are classic…

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Baristas who work in specialty coffee shops, along with hipsters more generally, have been referred to as the "shock troops" of urban gentrification—and it's no different in Philadelphia. These servers of artisanal coffee contribute to economic and demographic changes in neighborhoods in two ways. …

This podcast is Part 3 of a five-part series. Listen to Part 1 here and Part 2 here. The podcast series is a part of “The New Nuclear Age,” a special report on a $1.5-trillion effort to remake the American nuclear arsenal.   Ella Weber: This true megaproject is now called the Sentinel missile program. It’s the Air Force’s most ambitious military construction and weapons project in decades. Weber: The new weapon is one part of a plan that was started under former President Barack Obama. It was accelerated by the Trump…

Archaeologists excavated a Bronze Age stela that challenges longstanding interpretations of how the carvings represent gender and social roles in prehistoric times. Credit: Durham University This week's news roundup includes a Bronze Age discovery that calls into question existing ideas of gender representation from the period. More research confirms that bonobos are actually nice. Plus: Actual good climate news?…

Seeing how much hotter certain neighborhoods can get compared to others nearby blows my mind, and I report on this kind of thing for a living. I live in New York City, which tops a new list of places in the US where temperature spikes because of urban sprawl. It’s a problem called the urban heat island effect. Basically, areas with more paved surfaces and less greenery trap heat. That raises temperatures in cities compared to more rural locations. It also makes certain neighborhoods within a city hotter than others. A new…

A long-running retail shop in Cherry Creek is on the move. Show of Hands, currently at 250 Columbine St., plans to move to 200 Fillmore St. in January, according to its Facebook page. The store has been in Cherry Creek for nearly 40 years, according to its website. It sells gifts, jewelry, books and other trinkets made by artists around the country. Show of Hands moved into its current space in 2018. Before that, its home was 210 Clayton St. Co-owner Katie Friedland declined to comment on the latest move. Currently,…

Who hurt you? Turning beloved children’s characters into horror monsters isn’t something new. I think “nightmarish Alice in Wonderland” has been done roughly a bajillion times. So, My Friendly Neighborhood’s idea of murderous Sesame Street puppets may not seem that novel. Except that’s not what it’s about. I know. It kind of took me by surprise. I’d also say it’s “My First Resident Evil,” and the argument could be made, but that’s selling the game short. My Friendly Neighborhood wears its inspirations, sure, but it’s…

MEXICO CITY —  From the first day I set foot here, I always knew I wanted to live in the Centro Histórico. It was overwhelming. The constant drumming, sirens, marches, music and street vendors. The clopping of hooves of the police horses. The smell of roasting coffee or corn. Shouting, chants, wails, intimations of ghosts. Al pastor meat sizzling. Raw chickens for sale. Mosquitoes. Rain.This was downtown Mexico City to me when I stayed here for the summer of 2002, part of a small wave — more like a trickle — of…

Vermont’s first all-electric, solar-powered, storm resilient neighborhood of 155 homes with microgrid backup power has broken ground. All-electric neighborhood in Vermont The development is called Hillside East, and it’s in South Burlington, Vermont. The neighborhood and its homes are designed with climate and storm resiliency in mind, and the homes won’t use any fossil fuels. The all-electric neighborhood will includes 155 single family, multi-family and permanently affordable homes. It’s…