Of course, life doesn’t always take place at sunrise or sunset, and very rarely is it accompanied by a hushed voice-over.

The struggling Rust Belt town of Braddock, Pennsylvania has become a superstar in recent years thanks to its mayor, John Fetterman’s “Park Slope ethos” approach to reviving its dwindling population of just over 2,000 residents and dilapidated homes.  Elevated through social media, countless newspaper profiles and even a high profile ad-campaign have thrown the town into the national spotlight.

Fetterman became a hero of community advocates, initiating youth programs, buying up abandoned homes and starting organic gardens amidst the town’s crumbling structures.  And as with any hero, the real story often gets lost.  But in this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, Sue Halprin – who just happens to be the wife of Bill McKibben – raises the veil, revealing the many complexities of a town struggling to just get by and its mayor who is testing out many of the most in-vogue methods of reviving cities in the new American “frontier.”

A very worthwhile read.