Community / Economic Development
Detroit First U.S. City Awarded U.N's 'City of Design' Status
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has recognized the singularity of Detroit, dubbing the motor city the country's first "City of Design."
Detroit's Getting Better, Say Detroiters
According to a wide-ranging poll conducted by the Detroit Free Press, residents have regained some optimism about their city and its management. Sixty-nine percent said Detroit is headed in the right direction.
Rio De Janeiro's New 'Museum of Tomorrow' Studies Urban Ambitions
The world lacks any significant number of museums focused primarily on the issues of planning. Rio de Janeiro, however, will soon add one to the inventory.
Rating the Effectiveness of Eight Approaches to Civic Engagement
Code for America has released an Engagement Standard that provides concepts for measuring the quality of new engagement platform technology—not a bad tool to have in the perpetual quest to increase the quality of engagement processes.
Shut It and Gut It: Anchorage Takes Hard Look at Transit Center
After 500 hours of analyzing its downtown transit center, Anchorage officials have come to one conclusion: The only way to fix this building is to shut it and gut it. The transit center, over three decades, has become a blight on Downtown.
A Conservationist Turns to the City
Journalist Alex Ulam speaks with Sarene Marshall, director of the Urban Land Institute's Center for Sustainability, about the role conservation is playing in fighting climate change and her role at the agency.
The Most Popular Planetizen Posts of 2015
The results of a year's worth of writing, reading, sharing, and commenting are in. These are the most popular Planetizen posts from the year 2015.
Planning Programs to Watch in the Federal Omnibus Spending Bill
Congress is on pace to wrap up a major piece of federal legislation before leaving for recess.
East Portland Mobilizing Against Gentrification
East Portland is home to 25 percent of the city's residents—many of which are low-income or immigrants. The East Portland Action Plan aims to protect the community as a wave of gentrification approaches.
The 'Both/And' of the Housing Debate
Planners and community development housing activists and professionals need to start thinking about housing policy as "both...and." It is not reasonable to couch housing policy as either unfettered building or only rent.
Order Up: Massachusetts Has a New Food System Plan
With economic, employment, and social benefits, food is much more than what we eat. Now Massachusetts has completed a comprehensive food plan in the hopes of doing better with the systems by which food is manufactured, bought, and consumed.
Seattle as the 'Next Detroit'
As the automotive industry of Detroit once inherited the wealth and assets of Pittsburgh's steel industry, one writer argues Seattle has now inherited the wealth and assets of the Silicon Valley.
Report: 'Pop-Up' Businesses Ring Up $50 Billion in Yearly Revenue
Temporary storefronts—for everything from high fashion to big-box retailers to "foodie"-favored restaurants—are all the rage. A new study quantifies the economic clout of pop-up businesses.
5 Social Equity Problems Planners Should Help Solve
Urban planners should take a leadership role in placing social equity at the top of planning goals, argues planner, teacher, and affordable housing developer Murtaza Baxamusa. He looks at five socio-economic problems planners should strive to solve.
The Cities Best Positioned for Growth Based on the Right Mix of Jobs
Having the right mix of jobs in a local economy might be a predictor for future growth.
$1.5 Billion in Economic Development Funds Awarded in Upstate New York
The Upstate Revitalization Initiative is also known as the "Upstate Hunger Games." $1.5 billion in available funding is certainly an attention grabber.
Don't Blame Supermarkets for Food Deserts
Quartz makes the point that supermarkets alone won't solve the problem of poor diets among low-income Americans.
Charles Marohn: Not Your Typical Urbanist
From his home in Brainerd, Minnesota (population 13,500), this fiscally conservative engineer leads a growing movement. His slow-and-steady approach to urban development has real bipartisan appeal.
Meals Programs Shifting Focus to Keep Up With Suburban Poverty
A case study of suburban poverty and the programs needed to help residents through tough times.
Water Resilience in Dry Climates
How can cities in dry climates become self-sufficient in terms of water? California based Dry Lands Institute is creating a digital design tool called Hazel that aims to address just that.
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
