Community / Economic Development

High Rises

A Database of Urbanism-Related Research

A new project is intended to forge connections between research and practice in the world of urbanism.

September 25, 2017 - Public Square

Students at a graduation ceremony

Universities See a Real Estate Upside in Merging with Smaller Schools

Larger universities, like Boston University, have begun swallowing up smaller schools that offer new students and a goldmine of real estate in dense urban areas.

September 24, 2017 - The Boston Globe

Corner Store

Bodegas Are Vital to Urban Neighborhoods

Bodegas play an essential role in the communities they serve. Under threat by online retail and encroaching chain stores, they face a new danger from technology. New York YIMBY gives them a well-deserved shout-out.

September 24, 2017 - New York YIMBY

Street Art

Sunday Fun: Street Art Tours of the World

Street art tours offer colorful glimpses of global cities.

September 24, 2017 - The Dallas Morning News

Savannah

Hurricane Dreams

A series of thoughts about walking, biking, and community after Hurricane Irma.

September 23, 2017 - Walking the Walk

Bike Center to Salvage Abandoned Building on Closed Military Base—Not So Fast

The bicycle community in San Diego came up with a win-win-win: an innovative bike center in an abandoned building on a closed military base next to downtown and a major biking route. Then came the real world of unreal bureaucratic concerns.

September 23, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Wilderness Trails

No Dogs Allowed at One Colorado State Park

A state park in the Colorado Springs area tried allowing dogs on trails over the summer, but too many people complained about the impact of the canines on the wilderness experience.

September 22, 2017 - The Denver Post

Avenida Revolucion

The New Tijuana: Not Your Parents' Tacky Tourist Day Trip Anymore

On a recent tour of Tijuana for young land use professionals, San Diego architect Marin Gertler found a city that used the drought of U.S. tourism in the last decade to redefine and refine its urban core.

September 22, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Homeless Encampment

Organization Sets Up Tents to Shelter Homeless in Detroit

A civil rights organization has taken direct action to provide support for homeless people living in Detroit.

September 21, 2017 - Associated Press via Detroit Free Press

Salesforce Tower and 181 Fremont

Facebook to Expand in San Francisco

While everyone's attention in recent weeks has been on Amazon, another huge tech company has made a big bet on San Francisco.

September 21, 2017 - San Francisco Business Times

Street Musician

Buskers Welcome at Select Sound Transit Stations

A popular program to allow street performers (aka, buskers) into station areas on the Seattle region's Sound Transit system has been expanded.

September 21, 2017 - The Urbanist

Coffee House

When Coffee Came to London (Not a Starbuck's Story)

Walkability makes markets! Scott Bernstein tells the Lloyds of London story from the urbanist's perspective.

September 21, 2017 - PlaceShakers

East Harlem

Mapping Displacement Stories

The Regional Plan Association calls on the power of the contemporary Internet to broadcast stories of displacement from around Greater New York.

September 21, 2017 - Regional Plan Association

Hurricane Harvey Flooding

A Hurricane's Impact on Houston Commercial Real Estate

Houston's commercial real estate market, including some 72,000 apartment units, has been severely impacted b Hurricane Harvey.

September 20, 2017 - Modern Cities

Amazon's Second HQ Poised for Smart Growth

Amazon's second headquarters is huge, and their bias for walkable places says they are going to do it all over again in a new city. However, maybe they should take the high road and not beg for subsidies.

September 19, 2017 - Smart Growth America

Silicon Valley Looks To Kill The Corner Store

A new startup is either a disruptive technology that will forever change the corner store, or yet another example of Silicon Valley looking to gentrify neighborhoods.

September 19, 2017 - Modern Cities

Homeless Services

New Poverty and Income Data Reveals a Tale of Two Types of Cities

While the country overall made progress, larger cities are making stronger gains against poverty.

September 19, 2017 - Brookings

Pollution

Disregarding Trump, Corporations Adopt Internal Carbon Pricing

A new report from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions reveals that over 1,200 global and domestic companies, recognizing the threat of climate change, are either pricing emissions or considering it.

September 18, 2017 - The Washington Post - Energy and Environment

Pittsburgh at Night

Report: How Pittsburgh Can Boost Its 'Innovation Economy'

A team of researchers at Brookings suggests ways for Pittsburgh to lock in its status as a hub of the next economy, leaving all talk of the "Rust Belt" behind.

September 17, 2017 - Brookings

Renewable Diesel

From Buses to Trains, Renewable Diesel Catches On in California

For almost two years, MUNI's diesel-powered buses in San Francisco have run entirely on renewable diesel fuel. Diesel-powered Amtrak trains running from San Jose to Sacramento could be next.

September 16, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.