Community / Economic Development
A Detroit Design School Seeks a Seat at the Table
Academic institutions can play a major role in enriching the communities they operate in. Amy Deines, interim dean of the College of Architecture and Design at Lawrence Technological University in Detroit, discusses the city and school's trajectory.
Op-Ed Urges Pasadena to Adopt Balanced Homeless Measures
Pasadena should adopt measures that couple homeless services with controls on aggressive panhandling and camping in certain areas of the city, urges Jonathan P. Bell, urban planner and Pasadena resident.
Where Transit and Inequality Intersect in Baltimore
The "Inequality Chronicles," now in their third installment by Places Journal, are essential reading.

Backers Still Optimistic on Detroit Placemaking
After three years, an ambitious placemaking plan for downtown Detroit has delivered results, but not as quickly as its architects hoped.
Anchorage Updates Land Use Plan Map
After 34 years the Municipality of Anchorage is updating its land use plan map, a companion piece to its comprehensive plan adopted in 2001. The land use plan map sets the stage for future growth and development in this Northern City of 301,000.
Humanizing Tech in New York City
Rapid technological change has brought incredible opportunities as well as challenges to cities around the world. NYC's Chief Technology Officer and Director of Innovation discuss how the City is leveraging technology for improving city life.
Activist and Urbanist Collaborate for San Diego's North Park
San Diego's diverse urban North Park Community, once a victim of suburban flight, is now dealing with urban remigration. Urban planner Howard Blackson and community activist Don Leichtling collaborate on community plan update recommendations.
In Austin, Corporations Don't Get Paid for Promises
Austin is pushing its economic development policy to go beyond chasing the big deal.

A Black Exodus from Chicago
Black residents of Chicago are leaving for cities like Atlanta in massive numbers—away from the waves of crime tearing apart their hometown.
Gentrification Concerns Cited in Response to Grand Rapids Development Proposal
A speculative development proposal inspired a show of community solidarity in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Op-Ed: Overcoming a New NIMBYism
Rick Jacobus argues that those who block new development on social justice grounds aren't fighting to win long-term. Building is necessary, but with it should come robust affordable housing mandates.

Austin Denies Mixed-Use Zoning Change
Following concerns that the change would threaten Thornton Road Studios, a collection of arts and music businesses, the Austin City Council struck down a measure that would allow mixed-use development on the site.

Empowered Design, By 'The Crowd'
Crowdsourcing offers a viable resource for planners to empower communities and engage citizens to collectively innovate solutions to complex urban problems.
The Next Frontier for Compact Walkability? It's Gotta Be the Burbs
Suburban retrofit: what's next in issues, approaches, strategies, and tools.
Looking for a Kickstart: City Design Method Cards
The same team that created Cards Against Urbanity is back with an eagerly anticipated new engagement product called City Design Method Cards.

New Guide Will Help You Take Action in the Streets
With a grant from the Knight Foundation, Street Plans is creating the "Tactical Urbanist's Guide to Materials and Design" to provide engineer-approved materials guidance for citizen-led demonstration, and city-led pilot and interim design projects.
How Federal Housing Programs Built Segregation in St. Louis
St. Louis Public Radio details the work of a local researcher who says the segregation of today's St. Louis is the result of deliberate, decades-long federal housing policy.

Hillary Clinton's Surprisingly Blunt Message to Coal Workers
The message was so atypical for a politician wooing votes. "We'll put coal miners out of business," Hillary Clinton warned the audience at Sunday night's Democratic Town Hall in Columbus, Ohio, giving credence to President Obama's "War on Coal."
Mapping Grocery Store Closures around New York City
Thought eh majority of grocery stores that have closed in New York City recent years were located in Brooklyn, the issue still spreads far and wide through the city's boroughs.
A Chronicle of Inequality—Starting with Memphis and Houston
Places Journal has launched a series titled "The Inequality Chronicles." Expect high-quality longform articles.
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