Community / Economic Development
North Dakota's Oil Boom Falters
As oil prices dip to around $30 a barrel, fears are setting in that North Dakota's oil fields have been overdeveloped. If the current boom goes bust, these towns might find themselves nearly empty.
How the Built Environment Shapes Music
From Motown to grunge, techno to hip hop, modern music came to life in garages, living rooms, churches, and warehouses. Urban design has been instrumental to what we listen to every day.
Los Angeles Passes Sweeping Homeless Plans—Funding Still Needed
The easy part for politicians at both the city and the county of Los Angeles is over. Funding their plans to improve services for the homeless will be the hard part.
Land Trusts Holding Ground for Affordable Housing in Pittsburgh
Community land trusts are facing an uphill battle as waves of gentrification reach new neighborhoods around Pittsburgh.
5 Ways to Improve Life in Homeless Encampments
As cities struggle to deal with the persistent challenges of homelessness, one writer suggest there's a better way to address the problem than by simply clearing out homeless encampments and tent cities.
Fortunately, Unfortunately: A Children's Primer on Urban Evolution
Scott Doyon rewrote a classic children's book as a history of US cities since World War II. Fortunately, it's a quick read. Unfortunately, it's up to all of us how it ends.
Reinventing Des Moines
Fairly or unfairly, Des Moines has a solid reputation as one of the nation's least interesting cities. But unbeknownst to the rest of us, this quiet working town might become the Midwest's answer to Austin, Texas.
Food Carts Could Make Way for High Rises in Portland
Several big stories, all rolled into one, are emerging in Portland. Changes in zoning have paved the way for high-rises that are proposed for the existing location of the city's famous food stalls.
Obama Budget Includes $11 Billion for Homeless Families
Among the wish list of spending priorities included in the Obama Administration's draft federal budget—$11 billion in funding to address family homelessness.
Urban Fringe the New Frontier in China's New Urbanism
The Chinese government wants an influx of nearly 100 million new urban residents by 2020. In order to accommodate a migration of this nature, China's urban planners are tasked with creating cities to be more livable.
This Valentine's Day, Celebrate Neighborhood Revitalization With #LoveThatLot
The #LoveThatLot campaign is the Center for Community progress' way of celebrating the hard work of transforming vacant, blighted properties into neighborhood assets and amenities.
One Simple Way to Anger Pedestrians: Give Snow Removal Priority to Cars
A large backlash followed a large winter storm on the East Coast.
Homeless Are No Longer 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind' in Booming Cities
One of the sad contradictions of the revival of core urban areas has been the clash between waves of investment and affluence with large populations of homelessness. Many cities are still coming to terms with the issue, much less solving it.
Heady Market in Chicago's North Side Drives Teardowns
Lakeview, located north of Lincoln Park and adjacent to Lake Michigan, leads the city by a wide margin in residential teardowns over the past five years. Local developers are selling new homes for four times the original price paid.
Op-Ed: Sharing Cities We Can Trust
Duncan McLaren and Julian Agyeman launch a withering critique of the sharing economy as we know it, and envision "sharing cities" built around technologies that put community before commerce.
Filling in the 'Missing Middle': No New Wheels, Please
A new crop of developers are delivering fine-grained urbanism. Ben Brown checks into their boot camp and provides an update on the movement.
Everyone Wants a Piece of Havana—Can Cuba Keep Up?
Cuba and its capital city of Havana are experiencing several, simultaneous revolutions. The opportunity for residents is also an opportunity for developers and architects, as well as a challenge for planners.
The Trouble With Using GDP to Measure Economic Growth
Following recent bad news about the sluggish growth of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), the Brooking Institution reminds policy makers that growth does not necessarily trickle down to economic well-being.
How to Beat Extreme Heat
Louisville, Kentucky has recently been named the "most rapidly growing urban heat island" in the U.S., but what led to this title? Jeff Byles traces how cities are becoming increasingly warm through a number of different factors, including economic.
Houston's Lower-Income and Minority Communities Face Lack of Access to Medical Care
Maps showing the concentration of medical facilities in Houston, shows a greater density in higher-income areas.
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
