Community / Economic Development

Internet Cables

The Urban-Rural Internet Divide

Access to high-speed Internet makes a huge difference in day-to-day life. The digital divide between urban and rural communities means some rural communities could be left behind.

June 19, 2017 - The Wall Street Journal via MSN Money

St. Paul Skyway

Skyways Inspire Debate About the Future of Downtown St. Paul

The debate over public safety in Downtown St. Paul is once again focused on the city's skyways. There, concerns about access challenge any possible solutions.

June 16, 2017 - MinnPost

Johnson Square

Arkansas Town Without a Downtown Decides to Make One

Leaders of Johnson, Arkansas have decided to upgrade their town by creating an 80-acre, new urbanist-style downtown

June 15, 2017 - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Nuclear Power

Communities Plan for Life After Nuclear Power Plants

Nuclear power plants around the country are shutting down. The communities where nuclear plants have been located for decades will now have to figure out how to rebuild their economies without them.

June 14, 2017 - Governing

Senior Pedestrians

The Other Side of Anxiety? Realism. And Maybe Hope.

Ben Brown tells us to stop narrowly defining problems.

June 14, 2017 - PlaceShakers

California Coast

How L.A.'s Nighttime Park Programming Lowered Crime and Costs

Los Angeles County's Parks after Dark (PAD) program and the city of Los Angeles' Summer Night Lights (SNL) program are proving to save lives, lower crime, and reduce costs, writes L.A. County parks planner Clement Lau.

June 13, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Austin

How State Governments Can Support Urban Revitalization

States have tremendous power to constrict or enable policy at the local level. A new report offer guidance in getting states and localities on the same page for the sake of urban revitalization.

June 13, 2017 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Uber Dumbo

New York Lawmaker Would End New Marketing Nicknames for Neighborhoods

There will be no SoHa (South Harlem), if the state approves new legislation that allows the city to block real estate brokers from assigning new shorthand to neighborhoods in the hopes of boosting real estate listings.

June 13, 2017 - New York Post

Ohio

Awarding the Best Ideas for Successful Cities

The Knight Foundation asked: "What’s your best idea to make cities more successful?" When it came time to pick the best ideas, design and planning ideas for places like Wichita, Biloxi, and Akron emerged.

June 13, 2017 - The Architect's Newspaper

Main Street

New Web Based Tool Helps to 'Design Your Town'

A new tool produced by the Regional Plan Association, the Orange County Department of Planning, the Pace University Land Use Law Center, and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy offers a starting point for people with big ideas.

June 12, 2017 - Regional Plan Association

Rainbow Crosswalk

Gay Neighborhoods Are Getting More and More Expensive

Trulia has created a "Neighborhood Pride Score" to determine the communities with the largest gay populations. Access to those neighborhoods comes at a high price.

June 12, 2017 - Trulia

The Silent Expansion of Fiscal Control Boards in the U.S.

The power and process of boards that take control of a city or territory's finances is becoming more generalized, although they affect local democracy, impose austerity measures without controls, and lack mechanisms to evaluate their efficiency.

June 11, 2017 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

San Francisco

California Progress Report: GDP Increases While GHGs Fall

California is demonstrating that improving the economy and the environment go hand in hand. A new inventory report from the state's Air Resources Board notes changes in gross domestic product, population, and greenhouse gas emissions since 2000.

June 10, 2017 - California Air Resources Board

Beijing, China

A New Government Planned Mega-City Shapes Up Next to Beijing

Planners for the Xiong’an New Area hope to cure the ills of "megacity disease"

June 10, 2017 - Foreign Policy

Miami Mall

Top 5 Retail Shopping Center Trends

As the face of retail continues to evolve, tremendous opportunity exists for out-of-the-box concepts and creative retail strategies.

June 8, 2017 - Modern Cities

Embarcadero

Report Ranks the World's Leading Cities: Now and in the Future

New York is the most important city in the world, but San Francisco is best positioned for the future, according to AT Kearney's "Global Cities" report.

June 8, 2017 - World Economic Forum

City Dogs

How Planning Can Help Dogs and Humans Co-Exist

Not everyone is sold on the idea of dogs as "man's best friend," and not everyone is comfortable navigating a public realm where dogs are crowdsourcing their marks. What are planners to do?

June 6, 2017 - Planning Exchange

Conservation Distict

USDA Shake-Up, Trump Budget Could Be the Demise of the Office of Rural Development

A shake-up at the U.S. Department of Agriculture will likely impact the delivery of support and programs from the federal government to rural communities.

June 5, 2017 - Modern Farmer

Atlanta BeltLine

Artists and Property Owners Sue Atlanta Over Mural Regulations

A federal lawsuit alleges that the city of Atlanta is overstepping its bounds by threatening the removal of murals and other art located on private property.

June 5, 2017 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Bridge that Bridges

A Solution for Massive Federal Funding Cuts: Think Hyper-Local

As concern grows over the potential loss of community development and planning funds at the federal level, Indigo Bishop writes to remind us that communities have the networks and resources to make it through periods of scarcity.

June 1, 2017 - Indigo Bishop

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.