Community / Economic Development
Haiti Update: Reshaping Ravines
Haiti has seen improvements since the 2010 earthquake. However, persistent challenges remain. Dave Hampton, architect and international development consultant for natural and built environment integration, writes about one in particular: ravines.
Serving the Needs of Seniors: Solutions in Practice
We've long focused on the *what* when providing housing for seniors. Today Hazel Borys reminds us that the *where* is equally critical, if not more so.
Participation Makes for Successful Placemaking
In a compelling entry into the public dialog around placemaking, Project for Public Spaces argues that people, rather than merely places, create vibrancy in a community.
Chaining Bicycles to Economic Development
Biking can be a formidable economic development tool, argues James A. Bacon, who examines several ways in which investment in bicycle infrastructure can create wealth and jobs.
One Detroit Rises, While the Other Falls
Monica Davey describes the divergent paths of Detroit's public and private sectors.
For California, Success as Environmental Pioneer Means Others Must Follow
Although California has long been a pioneer in protecting the environment, for its most innovative policies - from mandating renewable energy to limiting greenhouse gas emissions - to succeed, it will need other states, and countries, to follow.
Bike-Oriented Development Sprouts in Portland
With the traditional metrics of retail economics and geography being undermined by the Internet, businesses are searching for new ways to reach potential customers. Astute business owners in Portland are recognizing the value in good bike exposure.
Downtown Chicago: America's Hottest Urban Center
With its surging job and population growth, and high retail sales, downtown Chicago is outperforming the suburbs for the first time in decades. Perhaps more than any other city in the country, it reflects the inversion of the post-war paradigm.
How Will New York's Landscape Change Once Mayor Mike Leaves Office?
Ryan Holeywell looks at the land use legacy of the Bloomberg Administration - perhaps his "signal achievement" - and wonders if his successor can continue the momentum.
Medellin Chosen as 'Innovative City of the Year'
From an initial list of 200 candidates, Medellín, Colombia has been selected as the winner of The Wall Street Journal and Citi's “City of the Year” competition.
Essence of Sustainability
Challenges that strong and weak markets alike share
Look to the Old Confederacy, not the Coasts, for America's Economic Revival
Accounting for 45% of America's land mass and 30% of its population, the Great Plains, the Intermountain West, the Gulf states, and the Southeastern industrial belt are key to a national revival, says a new report from the Manhattan Institute.
Placemaking vs. Placeshaking: Planning & Politics
Are you a Place-Maker or a Place-Shaker? Check out Scott Doyon's post for a look at where to draw the line. Spoiler alert: It's all about the politics.
Downtown L.A. Development: A Comprehensive Guide
From $100 million in upgrades to Dodger Stadium, to the decades-long effort to revitalize the Los Angeles River, to the construction of the tallest building west of the Mississippi, discover the status of 85 projects underway in downtown L.A.
Are Visions of a Thriving Chicago River Just Pipe Dreams?
Engineering marvel, polluted sewer, magnet for development - the Chicago River has worn many hats in its day. For its next role, can it become an "example of environmental innovation and ecological stewardship"?
Making Markets More Accessible to Low-Income Communities
The Project for Public Spaces (PPS) has released the results of a new study aimed at understanding how to "get more healthy food into...communities through farmers markets."
Why Has 'Vancouverism' Become a Hard Sell in Canada?
Vancouver's remarkable experiment in livable density is the envy of, and model for, cities across the world. So, after a decade of skyline expansion across Canada, why has densification 'lost steam' in the country? Doug Saunders investigates.
Democratizing Urban Design: A Public Square for Downtown Vancouver
Lacking public open space in downtown Vancouver, the city is taking a nonconventional approach and closing one block off to traffic for the summer months to allow for a pedestrian-oriented public square.
Charleston Debates Whether Cruise Project Should Set Sail
As the cruise industry grows, being a port of call is an increasingly lucrative proposition. However, many cities are having a hard time balancing "the economic benefits of cruise ships against their cultural and environmental impact."
In Fitting Finale, NY Will Tear Down Robert Moses Parkway
From Niagara Falls comes news that the State of New York will rip out a two-mile stretch of the Robert Moses Parkway, which has divided city residents from the scenic Niagara Gorge for a half-century.
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
