Community / Economic Development
APA Announces the 2015 'Great Places in America'
The APA's flagship program is back with its 2015 iteration—celebrating the best neighborhoods, public spaces, and streets in the United States.
The Charms of 'Illegal Neighborhoods'
A longtime resident of an old, eclectic neighborhood reflects on what makes the area so desirable and why new places like it are effectively outlawed today.
Will Public Art Revive the 'Champs-Élysées of Los Angeles'?
Once called the "Champs-Élysées of Los Angeles," MacArthur Park later became known for crime and prostitution. While it has yet to experience a revival like other L.A. parks, an unusual public art project has generated renewed interest in the park.
Op-Ed: Maryland Should Support Baltimore with Money, Not Bulldozers
A response to the conventional thinking about demolitions as the antidote to blighted, vacant properties and the negative effects that follow.
Moving Day for Portland's 'Right to Dream Too' Homeless Camp Delayed
Two years of work by the city to move the location of the Right 2 Dream Too homeless encampment, including the purchase of land for a new location, has stalled in the final hour.
Beyond the Big One: Real Recovery in San Francisco
What does it mean to be a Chief Resilience Officer for one America's largest cities? Doggerel spoke to Patrick Otellini, Chief Resilient Officer for San Francisco, to find out what it takes to make a truly resilient city.
Chicago's Food Carts Now Street Legal
An estimated 1,500 food carts were operating in the city of Chicago—mostly outside the law. The Chicago City Council this week passed a law that allows legitimate operations.
Thoughts on the Dynamic Cities Sector
After spending more than a decade in government and real estate development, Brian Swett recently joined Arup in the role of Director of Cities and Sustainable Real Estate in the Americas. We asked for his thoughts on urban expansion and development.
Attention Media: Neighborhoods Existed Before Gentrification
On the media's responsibility for narratives that enable displacement, rather than inclusion.
German Cities Rewrite Building Codes to Provide Homes for Refugees
Germany has reformed building codes in a marshaling of political will known as the "Culture of Welcome" for an expected one million refugees. German cities, many of them shrinking for decades, see the refugees as an opportunity and a responsibility.
Thoughts on Seaside at 35
Seaside, Florida: what’s possible when vision, tradition, creativity, adaptation, and, yes, time converge in ways that allow for careful study and consideration.
Community Improvement District Considered to Fund Atlanta Beltline Improvements
Stakeholders are considering the implementation of a Community Improvement District along the Atlanta Beltline to help pay for ongoing maintenance and other improvements to the ongoing project of building this singular public facility.
Proactive Approach to Displacement Included With 11th Street Bridge Park Plans
A proposal to design a park at the 11th Street Bridge between Capitol Hill and Historic Anacostia includes a through study of how the new park can connect two neighborhoods without leaving anyone behind.
Still Gritty: Crime Wave in Downtown Los Angeles
As people and jobs stream into the district, downtown's long-simmering problems butt up against vigorous urban renewal. Crime is up, but so are property values.
Book Review: 'The Rise and Fall of Urban Economies: Lessons From S.F. and L.A.'
Reviewer Jon Christensen suggests that an alternative title to this book on urban economic development by four UCLA researchers could be the much simpler, and probably more attention-grabbing, "How San Francisco Beat L.A. — for Now Anyway."
Nashville Neighborhood Conducts Car-Free Experiment
A neighborhood in West Nashville is in the midst of a "Don't Car Campaign," concluding on September 25, to determine just how walkable and transit-friendly their homes can be.
Street Artist Shepard Fairey Tackles Detroit
After billionaire landlord Dan Gilbert commissioned a mural, less-legal works in Fairey's style began showing up around the city. Detroit's case against the artist brings gentrification's ironies into focus.
Is Tactical Urbanism a Thing?
A review of the book by Mike Lydon and Anthony Garcia asks the question. The answer is a clear "yes."
The Katrina Cottage Legacy
The New Urbanist Katrina Cottages initiative for the Gulf Coast appeared to be a failure but their legacy lives on in the SmartDwellings and in the Tiny House movement.
New Census Data Shows Lack of Improvement on Income, Poverty
While the Census Bureau reported impressive findings on the reduction of Americans without health insurance last year, there was nothing impressive in the numbers on income and poverty, notwithstanding an increase in employment.
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
