Ah the new year! A time when we reflect on all that we've accomplished (hopefully!) in the past year, as well as make (sometimes lofty) plans and resolutions for "the new me." But making successful resolutions that stick is hard work...because it involves making changes, which is no easy feat (especially for cities, since that usually means getting others on board too)! Dropping 15 pounds, quitting smoking, organizing your closet, or creating better places (our wheelhouse!) can be difficult without the right tools and support. Although we can't help organize your closet, we can provide cities with an invaluable tool to achieve their place quality resolutions - to help make your neighborhoods and communities more walkable, livable, irresistible. Here's how...

Mariela AlfonzoJanuary 3, 2019SoP Index, walkability, cities, New Years ResolutionsComment

How Cities & Investors Can Measure the Impact of Redevelopment Projects

For the past few years, our team has been working with Conservation Law Foundation to review and rate real estate development projects for the Healthy Neighborhoods Equity Fund (HNEF). One of their challenges is measuring all of the myriad factors that influence the neighborhood environment and the way these features interact with each other. That’s why CLF turned to State of Place. Learn how cities and investors can follow CLF's approach by using State of Place to measure the impact of redevelopment projects...

Mariela AlfonzoFebruary 27, 2018investor, cities, roi

10 Experts Share How Cities Can Keep Summer Interns Long-Term

According to Google Trends, this is the time of year that students are evaluating cities for their summer internship potential. Maybe your city has the right internship programs in place to attract the best, but do you have the right amenities that will make your summer interns stay past August? We turned to the top urbanists to find out how cities can convince summer interns to stay for the long-term. Here are their top tips...

Mariela AlfonzoFebruary 19, 2018expert, cities, tips, intern

Step on the (Place) Scale

Ah the new year! A time when we reflect on all that we've accomplished (hopefully!) in the past year, as well as make (sometimes lofty) plans and resolutions for "the new me." But making successful resolutions that stick is hard work...because it involves making changes, which is no easy feat (especially for cities, since that usually means getting others on board too)! Dropping 15 pounds, quitting smoking, organizing your closet, or creating better places (our wheelhouse!) can be difficult without the right tools and support. Although we can't help organize your closet, we can provide cities with an invaluable tool to achieve their place quality resolutions - to help make your neighborhoods and communities more walkable, livable, irresistible. Here's how...

This week's blog will explain why you first have to step on the (place) scale to figure out where you're starting from, explain what the "scale" is telling you, and show you how our data and analytics serve as "walkmap" for you to follow on the "sidewalk" to success!

Mariela AlfonzoJanuary 3, 2017SoP Index, walkability, cities, New Years Resolutions

Return of the Urban Detective:

A few weeks ago, I posted about how using State of Place turned me (and my mom!) into an urban detective. Today, as promised, I’m sharing what I actually found. Don’t worry, it’s only slightly technical - but I promise you’ll come away with a much better understanding of how green space influences walkability and how State of Place helped me quantify that.