CityLab Daily: Dead Golf Courses Are the New NIMBY Battlefield
What We’re Following
Not in My Back Nine: Bad news, dad—golf is dying. As Millennials show a waning interest in the sport, golf courses and country clubs are starting to shut down. That’s not great for golfers, but it could be a boon for cities and suburbs facing a housing crunch. The empty greens could open up thousands of acres for new homes and apartments—the only problem is that golf courses are broadly zoned for commercial uses. That could tee up big fights in the future over what should fill the former fairways. On CityLab: Dead Golf Courses Are the New NIMBY Battlefield.
More on CityLab
Anthony Bourdain, Urbanist
Celebrity chef and travel show host Anthony Bourdain, who died today at 61, was a lover of cities as well as food. Bourdain’s culinary adventures in CNN’s Parts Unknown sussed out a real sense of place in a way that few travel shows on television could. The restaurant became Bourdain’s entry point to the wider culture of cities as his 11-season show uncovered urban life while dining on local delicacies from Los Angeles to Laos.
As a Parts Unknown producer summed up the show’s ethos in a New Yorker profile last year, Bourdain’s approach works as a mantra that applies to all kinds of urban wandering: “Don’t tell me what you ate. Tell me who you ate with.” On CityLab, Richard Florida explains how Bourdain inspired him to spread the message of cities and urbanism.
What We’re Reading
Why cities can’t stop poaching from one other (New York Times)
Building highways made racial segregation worse. Can removing them undo that legacy? (Streetsblog)
Senate panel maintains key funding for housing, transportation, and community development programs (Smart Growth America)
Developers are turning to prefabricated housing for entire apartments (New York Times)
Meet the New York architect who was a key figure in Donald Trump’s deals and connections in Eastern Europe (CNBC)
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