Community / Economic Development

The Gulch

Details of Nashville's Deal With Amazon Revealed

Nashville was a surprise benefactor of the Amazon HQ2 announcement earlier this month. Amazon will definitely benefit from the deal as well.

November 25, 2018 - The Tennessean

Bank Owned

Detroit Program Keeps Homeowners Facing Foreclosure Housed

The buyback plan diverts properties from Wayne County's tax foreclosure auction, keeping them in government hands until residents can repay the purchase price.

November 24, 2018 - Detroit Free Press

Dogs and Lawns

A New 'SeeClickFix' App, but for Poop

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

November 23, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Newport, Kentucky

$1 Billion Ovation Project to Break Ground in Metro Cincinnati in 2019

A mixed-use project planned for 35 acres in the city of Newport, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, is ready to break ground after ten years of planning.

November 23, 2018 - Cincinnati Business Courier

4 abandoned homes in St. Louis's Greater Ville neighborhood

St. Louis Lawsuits Focus on Delinquent Properties

Special suits give property owners an opportunity to fix up rundown properties before the city sells them.

November 21, 2018 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Long Island City

Amazon's New Home in New York a 'Distressed' Opportunity Zone

Concerns about the Opportunity Zone program created by the GOP tax bill passed in the waning hours of 2017—that it would enable gentrification and displacement for the profit of wealthy investors—won't be assuaged by this news.

November 21, 2018 - The New York Times

A Black woman stands in front of a home holding an umbrella and smiling.

White People Don't Recognize Black Middle Class Neighborhoods

According to a series of studies, white people have a blindness for seeing the black middle class in neighborhoods—even if they don't display other forms of racial animus.

November 20, 2018 - Slate

Pacific Northwest Shipping

Pacific Northwest Gears Up for Another Fossil Fuel Export Fight

Just two years after killing what would be the world's largest methanol plant at the Port of Tacoma, the project has reemerged at the Port of Kalama. According to the EIS for the plant, global CO2 emissions will be reduced, though increased locally.

November 19, 2018 - The Daily News

Jeff Bezos and Donald Trump

Watch Saturday Night Live's Hilarious Take on Amazon's HQ2 Decision

Saturday Night Love comes up with a novel hot take on the thinking behind Amazon's decision to split its new second headquarters between New York City and Northern Virginia.

November 19, 2018 - The Washington Post

Cleveland Vacant Home

Map Divvying Up Cleveland Resembles Redlining Maps of the Past

Cleveland neighborhoods were coded to help real estate investors, but the result is a map that harks back to old discriminatory housing practices, say critics.

November 16, 2018 - CityLab

48 Global Cities Work on Regulatory Framework for Digital Platforms

During the Sharing Cities Summit 2018, cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid, Montreal, New York, Paris, São Paulo, Seoul, Singapore, Stockholm, and Vienna agreed on a Declaration of Principles and Commitments of the Sharing Cities.

November 16, 2018 - Cities of the Future

Mesa Arts Center

Arizona Event Venues Don't Seem to Make Fiscal Sense, But City Leaders Say They’re Worth the Losses

Convention and arts centers are costly and lose lots of money, but cities still build and advocate for them.

November 16, 2018 - Arizona Republic

New York Subway

Friday Funny: The Onion Says the Subway Is Reserved for Amazon Employees Now

A totally fake news story, intended to satirize, not provide any factual information, makes fun of how much New York City's political leadership gave to Amazon to make sure HQ2 would call the Big Apple home.

November 16, 2018 - The Onion

Dilworth park

Details of Philadelphia's $181 Million, Voter Approved Bond

Voters approved a $181 million municipal bond to fund public works investments around the city.

November 15, 2018 - PlanPhilly

Digital Billboard, Edmonton, Canada

Defining Qualities of Digitally Inclusive Cities

Brookings analyzes the characteristics of the local economy of eight American cities succeeding in bridging the digital divide.

November 15, 2018 - Brookings

Arlington County, Virginia

New Virginia Tech 'Innovation Campus' Helped Woo Amazon to Arlington

According to an announcement by Virginia Tech yesterday, their plans to build a $1 billion innovation campus in nearby Alexandria helped win the HQ2 prize for Northern Virginia.

November 14, 2018 - WTOP

Seattle, Washington

Updated: Complete Coverage of Amazon's HQ2 Decision

The official news of Amazon's choices for its second location broke this morning, but hot takes were streaming in all day.

November 13, 2018 - Planetizen

Pilsen Chicago

The Problems With Tax Increment Financing and How to Fix Them

Tax increment financing (TIF) districts are common in municipalities across the country. However, the economic development tool is also poorly understood and often the target of criticism.

November 13, 2018 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Amazon Fulfillment Center

Amazon Makes It Official With New York and D.C.; Throws Another Curveball With Nashville

The reported selection of New York and Washington, D.C. as the dual winners of the Amazon HQ2 competition was officially announced this morning. Still, Amazon wasn't done with the surprises.

November 13, 2018 - Planetizen

Highway Interchange

Tools for Addressing the Suburbanization of Poverty

Suburban poverty is reading, here are a few ways to understand what that means.

November 13, 2018 - Build a Better Burb

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.