Community / Economic Development

More Evidence that Bay Area Housing Prices Are Hurting the Economy
Beacon Economics projects a slowdown in job growth in the San Francisco Bay Area due to the region's high housing costs.

Brazil's Embattled Development Bank
Less than half of the $7 billion that Brazil's development bank committed since 2009 has been disbursed. As it withdraws from foreign projects, BNDES is beset by scandal.

Inside the P3 that's Reinventing Long Beach
Several years ago, officials in Long Beach, California, found themselves in a pickle. They had an aging city hall in need of seismic retrofits (price tag: $194 million). Fast-forward to last July, when ground was broken on a $520 million project.
Achieving Community: Let's Get Real
The benefits of authentic community are extensive. Maybe even transcendent. But how do we get to that point? Scott Doyon's latest blog has a few thoughts.

San Francisco Rejects Environmental Review for Lack of Gentrification Analysis
In what could be a first, but potential not a last, the power of the California Environmental Quality Act was invoked in San Francisco with regard to concerns about gentrification.

Surveying the World's Laws for Begging
Beggars can be found in cities around the world, but the laws and philosophies that cities use to deal with these people are different.

100 Years After Her Birth, Jane Jacobs Might Not Recognize New York
Sam Hall Kaplan reviews "Eyes on Street: The Life of Jane Jacobs" and offers insight gained from personal experience with the "Saint of City Planning."
Chariot Commuter Shuttle in San Francisco Expands 50 Percent After Ford Acquisition
Chariot shuttle service, recently acquired by Ford Motor Company, may soon be a more formidable competitor for San Francisco's public transit provider, Muni, due to an expansion to 150 vans. Expect new routes, five-minute headways, and $4 rides.
What Mobility Leaders Think About Car Connectivity
As autonomous vehicles prepare to disrupt transportation systems, Ford Motors President & CEO Mark Fields, L.A Chief Sustainability Officer Matt Petersen, and rideshare company Chariot co-founder Ali Vahabzadeh opine on tomorrow's mobility ecosystem.

After the Boom (and the Bust) in Marcellus Shale Country
Tioga County, Pennsylvania provides lessons of a post-oil-boom economy.

A Showdown Looms as Developers Seek New Building Heights in Columbus
The region surrounding Columbus, Ohio could add a projected one million people by 2050, and developers are looking for new ways to meet growing demand for urban living.

Why Bother with Community Engagement?
What is the highest purpose of community engagement? Why do some planners go all out to hear from the public? This article dives into these questions based on nine interviews conducted at APA 2016.

What Happened When Berlin Tried Rent Control?
Enacted in 2015, Berlin's "Mietpreisbremse" ordinance limits rent increases on some (but not all) apartments. According to this study, results have not been ideal.
Planners Experiment with Unmanned Aerial Systems to Improve Maine Towns
Maine planners are finding new ways to use aerial photos and drone technology to improve transportation and environmental planning.

Prime Minister Trudeau Approves Huge Expansion of Oil Sands Pipeline
The young prime minister's approval to almost triple the capacity of the Kinder Morgan pipeline comes as a surprise given Trudeau's concern for climate change. He approved another Alberta oil sands pipeline but rejected a third.

Climate Changes Confront Alaska Villages with Wrenching Choices
Alaska is warming about twice as fast as the rest of the continental United States, and the state is heading for the warmest year on record. The government has identified at least 31 Alaska towns and cities at risk of destruction.

Friday Eye Candy: Turning Gentrification Data Into Art
Herwig Scherabon is a graphic designer featured this week in The Guardian.

Malign Neglect? Urban Policy in the Trump Era
How much do we have to fear from the president-elect's policy plans for urban America? We can hope that he will follow his party's playbook and largely ignore the cities, but potential changes to housing policy are more serious.
Alaska's Attempt at Clean Coal Technology Proves Costly, Problematic
An explosion on Nov. 2 forced GVEA to shut down the power plant earlier this month after struggling with a number of mishaps that have kept Golden Valley from bringing the Healy 2 plant online.
Step Away from the Vehicle (And Take Back the Journey)
Walkability’s greatest gifts to health are most accessible when we encounter one another in the flesh. In pedestrian-friendly environments, others amenitize space. On the highway, they encumber it.
Pagination
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service