3 years after bombing, Nashville wants tourists to give its downtown another chance

Jun 7, 2024
Fewer pedestrians are wandering onto popular 2nd Avenue, hurting businesses. That’s prompted an initiative to help boost foot traffic.
A sign points pedestrians to Second Avenue, where businesses are rebuilding after a 2020 bombing.
Cynthia Abrams/WPLN

The parts of the economy that make stuff are in a bit of a slump

Jun 5, 2024
The government reports construction spending fell for a second month in April. And factory orders were up less than 1% after being revised down for March.
Over the past few months, manufacturing employment has been stable.
Jim Young/AFP via Getty Images

Construction spending slowed in April, continuing this year's trend

Jun 3, 2024
The construction flatline stems from interest rate hikes — new projects are less affordable, and that's starting to affect builders.
Transportation infrastructure construction has taken off, thanks in part to recent federal legislation.
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

Workers who built Baltimore's Key Bridge reflect on its reach in their lives

Apr 18, 2024
The ironworkers, painters and others who constructed the bridge thought it would outlive them.
Buddy Cefalu connecting road beams as an ironworker during the construction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Courtesy Cefalu

A window into the world of deconstruction

Apr 17, 2024
Chris Rutherford, executive director of Salvage Warehouse of Detroit, shares how the deconstruction business is a huge benefit for communities economically, environmentally and socially.
Deconstruction workers from the Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit sort housing material from a run-down building.
Courtesy Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit

Home Depot bets on big construction projects with new acquisition

Mar 28, 2024
The home improvement company is buying SRS Distribution, a roofing, landscaping and pool construction supplier, for $18 billion.
Spending on home renovations spiked in 2021 and 2022. "Now what we're going through is a correction and a stabilizing," says Carlos Martín at Harvard University.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

After dreaming of living in a dome home for decades, this Texas woman made it a reality

Mar 7, 2024
"I'm not getting any younger. If I'm going to have a dome, I need to get on with it," said Paula Stone of Fredericksburg, Texas.
Paula Stone's home is made up of five connected monolithic domes that she designed herself.
Courtesy Stone

For public good, not for profit.

Years after the pandemic started, homebuilding materials are still hard to find

Feb 19, 2024
The industry's mood continues to brighten, a trade group says, but sourcing sophisticated equipment remains a challenge.
There’s currently high demand for sophisticated construction equipment, said John Kirk of the Lightpath Co.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Fed might cut interest rates soon. That's weighing on business owners' plans.

Jan 2, 2024
Do they wait for lower rates in the future or borrow what they need today? It’s a question of cost versus opportunity.
Some construction projects have been paused or postponed until interest rates fall, said John Kirk, a developer in San Antonio.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Manufacturing sector contracts for 13th straight month, but construction spending is up

Dec 1, 2023
The Institute for Supply Management’s Purchasing Managers Index showed worse-than-expected performance for manufacturing, but construction growth shone.
“The housing market is poised for gains for 2024," said Danushka Nanayakkara at the National Association of Home Builders.
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images