Creative Urban Policies/Techniques

Having been a member of this community for a while now, I've been particularly impressed with the ideas and creative solutions many have put forward for issues our urban neighborhoods face.  I thought a thread where people could discuss both personal ideas and actual examples of best practices for solving any of the various urban infrastructure and development issues would be interesting.  So I'll start:

Here are two images from Washington D.C.'s streets that solve two problems (but could even be used for other reasons.  The first image of of a black in China Town.  The area of DC's China Town is very densely developed with many old rowhouse style commercial buildings (and many new larger ones).  The picture shows a facade that has been erected outside of an industrial development in the area.  As it is the only industrial building, the city did not want them to ruin a very walkable area with a 'deadzone' and so they created what appears to be 6 distinct buildings.  They each contain unique architecture, though they lack functional doors and windows.  They also double as functioning vents for the industrial building behind.  All in all walking by most would not notice they weren't passing retail and commercial unless they looked closely.  I was taken aback by it and thought it was brilliant (and did not look expensive at all).

The second picture is of a series of rowhouses which line a block.  These rowhouses are home to restaurants, retail, and commercial in the upper floors.  What's amazing, though, is that the company that bought the space specifically designed a 12 story 'skyscrapper" (by DC standards) to be set back off the block keeping the existing retail.  The result is ground floor human-scale street retail and thousands of square feet of office space above.  Again, innovative and very pro-urban living.