Community / Economic Development
Boston Working to Keep Construction Hiring Local and Diverse
The city of Boston is working to ensure that a diverse collection of residents are benefitting from the fruits of the city's current building boom.
Study: Geography Matters for Life Expectancy of Low Income Residents
A new study, released this week, reveals the connections between geography and life expectancy.
Coming to Grips With Post-Coal Reality in Wyoming
The state of Wyoming made billions in tax revenues off the coal industry. But after waves of layoffs, those left in the state are asking: What's left of those revenues for workers?
Economic Development in Eagle, CO: A Riverfront Park and Whitewater Play Area
A sure way to turn out the vote in Eagle, Colorado: hold an election asking for a new sales tax to fund a whitewater play park on the local river. Voters overwhelmingly supported the project.
Routes of Change: a One-Man Journey Around the World Without a Motor
Markus Pukonen is circumnavigating the planet without a motor to raise awareness for the global community and to create positive change.

Book Review: From Steel to Slots
Chloe E. Taft explores the transition of Bethlehem, Pa., from Rust Belt company town to gambling mecca.

Debating the Future of Baltimore: New Urbanism vs. Global Starchitecture
Pritzker Prize winner Thom Mayne and leading New Urbanist planner Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk squared off in a debate about the future of Baltimore.
Poking Holes in D.C. Mayor's $660 Million Homeless Shelter Plan
An ambitious proposal to build seven new homeless shelters around the District of Columbia, with a price tag of $660 million, has been attacked on several fronts.

How to Rethink the Suburbs: A Lesson From Toronto
A new zoning law in Toronto could enable its hundreds of suburban tower developments to become vibrant and active communities.

Inner Suburbs Face Identity Crisis
Places like Columbia Heights, an older suburb north of Minneapolis, lie at the focal point of conflict over development and gentrification. Can these places support a 21st-century urbanism?

Let's Talk About Civic Crowdfunding and Government Responsibility
A reply to skeptics about the democratic power and potential of civic crowdfunding platforms.
Los Angeles River Restoration Going From Grassroots to Glam
As excitement around the L.A. River revitalization heats up, neighbors of the once-neglected channel wonder who will benefit from the billion-dollar redevelopment.

In Long Island City, a Glimpse of the Future?
According to critic James Russell, Long Island City has come to resemble the new metropolises of Asia. A frenetic jumble of old and new, the area's "dystopian" qualities aren't all bad.

In Pictures: Havana's Public Spaces
The recent thaw in U.S. relations with Cuba, as well as President Obama's visit last month, have spurred conversations about Havana's future. Its public spaces are worn, but they're busy and well-designed.
Effort Underway to Change 36 Racist Place Names in Washington State
It's surprising to see places named with racially offensive words in 2016—no matter what your take on political correctness.
Connecting the Dots Between Governance and Placemaking
Seattle's beloved Pike Place offers a case study in how careful governance builds the foundation for flourishing places.
Could Tent Cities Work in California?
Seeking new approaches to a growing homelessness problem, Sacramento officials recently toured the "tent cities" of Seattle.
Benchmarks: Places on the Move Measure Up
All Planetizen readers should read the full 200-page Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2016 Benchmarking Report. If you haven't taken the time yet, Hazel Borys shares some of the best bits.

Glaeser: Unleash the 'Free Genius of Urban Creativity'
Harvard Professor Edward Glaeser argues for the loosening of regulations that create barriers to entry for small businesses and immigrant entrepreneurship in Boston.

Is Face to Face Community Engagement Dying Out?
With disruptions at public meetings on the rise and a growing number of online engagement tools to choose from, is face to face community engagement destined to die out? What's at stake if we let that happen?
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