Community / Economic Development
Does Gentrification Need to be a Bad Word?
Gentrification has come to signify wealthier residents pushing lower-income residents out of a community, but gentrification also has some "undeniable upsides". Ward 8 in Washington D.C. offers a glimpse into how gentrification can aid a community.
An Invitation to Sprawl?
New legislation by the Maharashtra State Governments would allow private land owners to apply for city boundary expansions as a tool to ease congestion.
Revive Farming, Revive Haiti
After the earthquake, Haiti's recovery has not been in rebuilding the center city, but through decentralization and the development of farming. But even this plan, reports Randal Archibald, is fraught with challenges.
Does Local Economic Development Work?
Academic Mario Polèse argues that the history of local economic development is a "story of academic fads", that have "proven of little practical use."
Northern Manhattan Sees White Collar Boom
Traditionally immigrant neighborhoods in the northernmost reaches of Manhattan, Washington Heights and Inwood are seeing new, white collar companies set up shop in the low-rent neighborhoods.
Outdoor Markets Gain In Popularity
Holiday festival markets are flourishing in central city squares across America, following the model of the great Christmas markets of Germany and other European countries.
Hondura's Experiment in Massive Free Market City Building
Can Honduras develop it's own Hong Kong by enabling free market "startup cities"? The sleepy city of Trujillo is selected for the country's first experiment.
Top 2011 Design Milestones for the Public Good
Archinect's John Cary compiles a comprehensive list of most forward-thinking designs in 2011 that have impacted people's lives, and the way they interact with the built environment.
For Urbanizing Beijing, "Putting Farmers in Flats" Not Enough
Tom Miller, author of "Urban Billion," discusses the pitfalls and shortcomings of a too-quickly urbanizing Beijing in this interview with David Pierson.
Rules for Planning Successful Retail Developments
Hazel Borys discusses how several key form-based guidelines for retail can encourage success in the most risky of all development types.
Hollywood Community Plan is Misguided, Says Planner
According to Richard Platkin, the Hollywood Community Plan Update is merely one megaproject after the next--a huge mistake, and the antithesis to the Los Angeles General Plan Framekwork for good reason.
Does Your Local Economic Development Strategy Include Search Engines?
Nearly half of consumers now report that they look for local business information using the Internet, more than any other source.
Food Vendors Invited Onto Vacant Lots
With few other options for stalled construction sites, real estate companies have begun inviting food vendors to set up shop on the sites, often for free, and often to both parties' benefit.
First Look at Cornell's Winning $2 Billion Tech Campus
New details and a visualization from Cornell University's winning proposal to create a "game-changing" applied sciences and technology campus on New York's Roosevelt Island.
Billboards Decrease the Value of Nearby Property
A new report focusing on the City of Philadelphia found that there is a statistically significant correlation between real estate value (as measured by sales price) and proximity to billboards.
Congress Cuts CDBG Funds; Cities Feel the Hurt
Allentown, PA is just one of many cities across the nation who have had to face tough decisions as their Community Development Block Grant funds shrink.
Report Touts Economic Benefits via Maine Transportation Projects
The report put out by TRIP, a Washington, DC non-profit sponsored by insurance companies and transportation labor unions, highlights about 50 trips that are likely to generate economic growth when completed.
Cleveland Turns Its Focus Uptown
Cleveland, suffering from a disappearing population, is pinning its hopes on a new Uptown arts and entertainment district, including the new Museum of Contemporary Art which opens in 2012.
The Politics of the Public Christmas Tree
Leon Neyfakh of The Boston Globe examines the unexpectedly cohesive political roots of the controversial civic symbol.
The Largest Urban Park In America Coming To Chicago
A new park in Chicago aims to turn 140,000 acres of under-used and post industrial land along the Second City's southern rim into the country's largest urban park. Governor Pat Quinn hopes to add private funding to the $17m allotted by the state.
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
