Bloomberg CityLab

A Virginia neighborhood that’s about to be boxed in by data centers exemplifies growing tensions over unfettered growth.

Data centers have long been a financial boon for Northern Virginia, home to the largest market on the planet. But the industry’s sprawling and loosely regulated footprint hasn’t just gobbled up land. New hulking facilities increasingly butt up against schools, playgrounds and people’s backyards — triggering pushback from residents who say it's all taking a toll on their quality of life. Nowhere have tensions flared more than in Loudoun County, which is at the heart of the world's data center capital. There, I report for Bloomberg CityLab on two housing developments that will soon be boxed in by massive data centers set to erected just steps from homeowners' property lines. One side's attempt to collectively sell their land to a developer and escape the encroachment for good is drawing fierce opposition from neighbors. Once allies in the fight against data centers, the two communities have appeared on opposing sides at emotional public hearings that drag late into the night. And despite admissions of poor county planning from some officials, no relief is in sight for either party. The conflict is raising questions about whether Loudoun — the wealthiest county in the US — has now had too much of a good thing. The explosive growth of data centers has exacerbated their literal and metaphorical shadow over Northern Virginia. On top of energy and environmental strains, data centers don’t always make the best neighbors. And efforts to pass more stringent regulations offer lessons for places whose future might soon look like the region. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eBFBFk2p (Map by Leonardo Nicoletti)

The first US-flagged boat to connect offshore wind power has begun work in New York, a milestone for a sector under threat from Trump.

Right-leaning governments across the world - most famously the Trump administration - are increasingly advocating a"traditional" architectural style as the only proper one for official buildings. If you're curious about what that might look like, the current transformation of Hungary's Buda Castle might provide a guide - and cautionary tale. As Robert Bevan notes in this piece for Bloomberg CityLab, the castle complex is being given an overhaul, with 12 partially or totally reconstructed buildings, ostensibly so that the complex resembles itself before WWII destruction and communist era demolition. What Budapest is getting, however, is a set of concrete hulks covered with dubiously pastiche facades, their silhouettes now steroidally-enhanced to look grander and beefier, plus a land grab that sees the castle hill becoming an increasingly private political complex. All this is happening, the piece notes, while Budapest's actual surviving historic architecture is in increasingly poor repair - and is piloted by a government that has systematically undercut historic protections to the benefit of developers. https://lnkd.in/gAcye_Gn

After decades of neglect and painstaking restoration work, plans to transform Buffalo Central Terminal into a mixed-use complex are racing ahead.

Wind farms on Scotland’s Isle of Lewis were stalled for decades, but the perseverance of local leaders overcame regulatory obstacles and community concerns.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and Vanderbilt University said they’re in talks to bring a new campus to the city’s struggling downtown.

The controversy over Budapest's historic site rebuild.

Some stories stay with you long after you file them. Oshawa is one of those. Reporting there was one of the most sobering assignments I’ve had this year. The place that once proudly called itself Canada’s motor city is now bracing for another economic shock. I’m deeply grateful to everyone in Oshawa who opened their doors and their lives to me to tell this story. Unemployment has surged past 9% as General Motors announced it will cut output at its only Canadian plant making pickup trucks. The impact reaches far beyond the factory floor: I met people quietly stretching money and time over a single coffee at a local diner, lining up early at the food bank with strollers to collect pasta and bread, and wondering how to hold on as hours are cut and bills keep coming. What struck me most is how quickly fortunes turned. This same plant was shuttered in 2019, then unexpectedly reopened during the pandemic as vehicle demand surged. Now, with new US auto tariffs, production is being scaled back again, and workers who bet their futures on GM are left in limbo. I spoke with experts, union leaders, city officials, and residents about what this means for Oshawa and for Canada’s place in the North American auto supply chain. But this isn’t just an Oshawa story. It is the story of many communities grappling with what happens when global trade and supply chains are suddenly reshaped. What do you think cities and industries need most to adapt when economic tides turn and long-standing industries face sudden disruption? You can read the full Bloomberg News report here: https://lnkd.in/gjrTn3Vq

Hungary’s Orban government says it is restoring Buda Castle to its historic form. Critics say the new buildings are inauthentic and part of a land grab.