Community / Economic Development

A series of massive urban stimulus plans have been announced recently by several Chinese cities. Economists are split on whether the projects can speed up the country's growth rate and accommodate the influx of urban migrants, reports Chris Oliver.

August 24, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

With the world's supposedly fashionable neighborhoods "increasingly as banal, antisocial and plain dull as any suburb," Feargus O'Sullivan explains why he's perfectly happy to have ditched inner London for the burbs.

August 23, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

As one of North America's largest suburbs, Mississauga is joining some of its neighbors in the Greater Toronto Area in planning an unprecedented effort to replace its suburban roots with something more urban.

August 23, 2012 - The Globe and Mail

Hazel Borys concludes her popular photo series on lessons from Canadian urbanism with a look at Ottawa, whose charming historic character is illegal to reproduce today in its more auto-centric outskirts.

August 22, 2012 - PlaceShakers

After several years of soul searching during the Great Recession, "conspicuous consumption has made a resounding return to Madison Avenue." But, as Eric Wilson discovered, a new Avenue has emerged.

August 21, 2012 - The New York Times

With South Korean officials set to move into their sparkling new "mini capital" next month, Chico Harlan examines plans for the new city that "will either drive growth outside the overpopulated capital or end up as an ill-conceived waste of money."

August 20, 2012 - The Washington Post

In an indication that the "creative class" era may have finally jumped the shark, the city of Miami is reveling in the arrival of Richard Florida himself as a sign of the area's arrival as a "Creative City."

August 20, 2012 - The Miami Herald

In the quadrennial competition to secure mega-events such as the Olympics and political conventions, the economic benefit to host cities is regularly flaunted. Carl Bialik looks at why big events may not mean big bucks for their host cities.

August 20, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Amtrak is considering where to build stations in Philadelphia for high-speed rail. One of the options is a new station in Market East, an underdeveloped part of downtown. Leadership sees the project as a potential catalyst for new building.

August 19, 2012 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

When we think urbanism, we often think cities. But small towns embody many of the elements of walkability that are illegal in most places. This pictorial review offers some palatable insights.

August 19, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Kevin Meagher argues why the office of Mayor of London, "an astounding success" since its creation just 12 years ago, is bad for the rest of England, and should be abolished.

August 18, 2012 - The Guardian

The focus of a series of failed proposals, a 20-acre corner of Brooklyn Navy Yard known as the Naval Annex Historic Campus is set to be converted into a $400 million media, technology and film hub in a plan announced this week.

August 18, 2012 - The New York Times

Arts programs across America have not been immune to the effects of the Great Recession. With institutions across the country struggling financially, Terry Teachout looks at whether the voter-approved bailout of the DIA can serve as a national model.

August 18, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Emily Badger explains how a Minneapolis-based non-profit organization is working to break the cycle of gentrification within artist communities by helping to create and preserve affordable space for artists and arts organizations.

August 17, 2012 - Fast Company

In a feature for the Architect's Newspaper, Christopher Bentley looks at efforts by Ohio's three largest cities to revitalize their urban cores, and the challenges they face.

August 16, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Steve Lohr reports on the new I.B.M. research lab in Kenya, which will work to tailor technological solutions to the prominent issues in Africa's major cities.

August 16, 2012 - The New York Times

Caroline Davies reports on the development of a women-only industrial city in Saudi Arabia, that the government hopes will give women a more prominent role in their country's development while maintaining their second-class status.

August 15, 2012 - The Guardian

We get it, China's cities are big and getting bigger. But what's it like to live there? Isaac Stone Fish takes a closer look at the quality of life in Chinese cities, and finds them almost uniformly monolithic and unlivable.

August 15, 2012 - Foreign Policy

In the latest article from Better Cities & Towns' series on healthy, walkable town centers, Geoff Dyer offers insight into the ways that locating office space in mixed-use centers can improve economic vitality.

August 14, 2012 - Better Cities & Towns

Amanda Erickson explains how communities could wield the power of eminent domain to rescue residents with "underwater" mortgages, by condemning homes and allowing owners to refinance their mortgages and pay a new, lower rate.

August 14, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities