Community / Economic Development
To Unleash Dallas's Building Boom, Tear Down a Freeway
Patrick Kennedy proposes an elegant and cost-effective way to deal with Dallas's aging elevated freeway and the city's "massive pent-up demand for walkable urban housing" - tear the sucker down.
Sandy Damaged Homes Sold 'As Is' for Millions
Homes in the Rockaways are being marketed and sold in the battered conditions that Hurricane Sandy left them, reports Elizabeth A. Harris. Existing residents view them as investment opportunities, but long-term market conditions are uncertain.
The Emerging Asian City: An Interview with Vinayak Bharne
The publication of the 24 chapter volume “The Emerging Asian City: Concomitant Urbanities & Urbanisms”, brings together some of the most significant emerging voices and thoughts on the forces and phenomenologies shaping urban Asia today.
Collaborative Planning Effort Seeks to Transform L.A.'s Riverfront
Efforts to transform L.A.'s maligned river into a public and economic asset got a boost last week with the establishment of a cross-disciplinary and cross-agency planning effort focused on an eight-mile stretch of the river.
Community Dynamics: Stoking or Choking Collective Planning Efforts?
Does your community allow the perfect to become the enemy of the good? Scott Doyon kicks off an ongoing look at community-unfriendly behaviors.
Re-Positioning Cities at the Core of Global Trade
Recalling the structure of ancient trade hubs, the Brookings Institute’s Alan Berube calls for local and national policies to once again place cities at the center of international trading strategies.
Stop Segregating the Rich! Fighting Displacement Fights Crime
Isolating poor residents from rich ones is not only bad for those being segregated, it leads to the worst outcomes for a city as a whole. Fighting displacement results in less crime and more stable and healthy communities.
Can Planning Policies Solve India’s Gender Divide?
As recent headlines reveal the insecurity faced by women in India’s largest cities, the role – and responsibility – of urban planning is being questioned.
Chicago Area Taking Aggressive Steps to Stabilize Housing Market
Although the nation's housing market appears to be improving, the foreclosure crisis is far from over. Following in the footsteps of other localities, Cook County, Illinois, is creating a countywide land bank to help address its foreclosures.
Public Process and the Perils of Dismissive Engagement
Steve Jobs said, "People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” So why do planners keep asking people what they'd like to see? Scott Doyon believes it's time to dig deeper.
Real Estate, not Gun, Battles Define Tranformed Rio Favela
Jonathan Watts reports on the transformation of the Vidigal favela in Rio de Janeiro. With drug gangs kicked out, wealthy buyers have moved in, and rental prices have surged. But has the neighborhood changed for the better?
A New Urban Role for China’s Evolving Shopping Malls
As the structure of China’s urban shopping malls evolves into large-scale, multi-use “lifestyle complexes”, so too does their role in the social and cultural fabric of metropolitan society.
Ambitious Plan Seeks to Guide D.C.'s Metro Into a New Era
A draft long-range Strategic Plan for Washington D.C.'s Metro aims to adapt one of the nation's busiest transit systems to the needs of a growing region, at a cost of $26 billion.
India Comes to Grips With the Challenges of Urbanization
In the first entry in an eight-part series, Aparna Piramal Raje explores the challenges facing an urbanizing India that lacks sufficient planning to ease the country's transition from a nation of villages.
Data Shows Inclusionary Housing Is...Inclusionary!
Advocates of inclusionary zoning have something to smile about. A new report from the Rand Corporation confirms that the housing produced by these zoning policies does in fact create or preserve affordable housing in areas of low poverty.
Once Dumping Grounds, Pittsburgh's Rivers Now Eyed by Residents and Developers Alike
Once controlled by "industrial behemoths", Christine H. O'Toole examines the role that Pittsburgh's three rivers - its genius loci - have played in spurring the redevelopment of the city's downtown.
Gentrification Pushes Artists out of LA's Arts District
The arts district in downtown Los Angeles is transforming its industrial buildings into trendy boutiques, restaurants and hotels. The concern is that gentrification will drive out low-paid artists who can no longer afford to live there.
Can One Man Transform a Struggling Chicago Neighborhood?
From education to housing to health, Chicago's Gary Comer, billionaire founder of Lands' End, invested millions into the struggling South Side neighborhood of Pocket Town in a mission to transform it into a beacon of hope for the community.
Dare to Live Outdoors
The old cool: Sealing yourself inside suburban air conditioning. The new cool? According to Howard Blackson, it's the joy to be found outside, connecting with one another and the world we share.
Who Should Pay for Parks?
Philadelphia spends $64 on parks and recreation facilities per resident, one of the lowest totals in the nation. Ryan Briggs uses the city as a lens to examine the growing impact of budget cuts to park systems on their surrounding communities.
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
