In Louisville, Kentucky, a wave of younger buyers is driving a real-estate boom of homes priced at $1 million or more. These “affordable” luxury properties, as well as the city’s happening restaurant and art scene, are attracting newcomers at numbers the city hasn’t yet seen. (The Wall Street Journal)
In Älmhult, Sweden, Ikea is transforming one of its former warehouses into the new Museum of Furniture Studies, a site for both contemporary and historic furniture and design. The project, designed by Cobe and set to open in 2027, uses the building’s industrial bones, but adds timber interiors, exhibition spaces, and an open collection of more than 800 design objects. (Dezeen)
Safeway parking lots across the Bay Area are becoming the latest battleground in California’s housing crisis, as plans for nearly 4,000 new apartments atop grocery stores cause anxiety for residents worried about the change this could bring to their neighborhoods. (SFGATE)

New York City is eyeing a major makeover for Park Avenue, unveiling plans to widen the boulevard into a greener, more pedestrian-friendly space with trees, benches, and sweeping walkways. The proposal would remove two traffic lanes along an 11-block stretch in Midtown, which Mayor Zohran Mamdani says will put “the ‘Park’ back into Park Avenue.” (The New York Times)

With just weeks before kickoff, many hotels in cities that are hosting World Cup tournaments are facing an unexpected glut of empty rooms as travel demand falls short of projections. Here’s how visa issues, rising travel costs, and cancellations from FIFA are contributing to the major lag in bookings. (NPR)

Top photo courtesy Louisville Tourism