Community / Economic Development
A Pool in the River
This Kickstarter campaign is hoping to raise money to build a floating pool in the waters around New York City that use and filter river water to provide a public swimming facility.
Marketing Cities as Products in China
City development has become a close cousin to product sales in China, where developers are finding new ways to market their services as suites of urban products.
South Korea to Build New Capital for Southern Sudan
The new country of Southern Sudan, officially declaring its independence in July, will have help from the national development arm of South Korea in building a proposed new capital city.
Cities Try New Approaches to Fund Streetcars
As federal transportation funding grows increasingly uncertain, cities across the country are trying new approaches to generate funds for their planned streetcar projects.
The Ponzi Scheme that Created the Suburbs
Charles Marohn explains how cities and towns failed to consider the future expense of expanded infrastructure to new suburban developments.
Clashing Strategies for Preserving Historic Community
Hannibal Square in Winter Park, Florida has a long history as an African-American community, dating back to the 19th century. Today, a community land trust, a redevelopment agency and other groups are approaching the community with different goals.
Rust Belt Mayors Are Greening Brownfields
With the unlikely help of a group called the Mayors Automotive Coalition, down-at-the-heels towns are reinventing themselves - in various shades of green.
Density, Closer to the Ground
Vancouver, Canada, famous for its dense downtown development, is changing tack slightly with a transit corridor from downtown to the airport, bringing building heights down mostly to 4 to 12 stories.
Realizing Fast-Forward Urbanism
Top-down and bottom-up planning are brushed aside in favor of the concept of a middle ground approach in the new book "Fast-Forward Urbanism: Rethinking Architecture's Engagement with the City". It could work, according to this review.
The Disproportionate Influence of Cities in Countries Around World
At a recent conference on world cities, attendees from all over the world shared the impression that their cities do not receive enough respect from their national governments.
Misinterpreting Metrics in List of 'Dying' Cities
In this post on The Infrastructurist, Peter Kageyama looks at a recent listing of 10 "dying" cities, and how the metrics used to rate these places can be and have been misinterpreted.
The Temporary Stadium
As London prepares to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, plans for a temporary basketball stadium that can be removed after the event are offering a new way to look at the event and its potential for creating venues with no long-term usability.
The Olympic Aftermath in Athens
This piece from Domus goes on a tour of Athens with local architect Andreas Angelidakis, who reflects on the city's lasting and negative impacts from hosting the Olympics.
The Importance of Corners
Chuck Wolfe focuses on the role of the urban corner, terming it "the central place of urban life".
California Town Recommended for Dissolution
The Kern County grand jury concludes that Maricopa no longer has the resources to maintain its status and duties as an incorporated city. One example includes accepting an $8,000 loan from a tow truck operator to make City payroll.
Three Model Cities Seattle Can Learn From
Los Angeles, Cincinnati and San Francisco are tackling major urban problems quickly and effectively. This post argues that Seattle can learn much from these efforts.
Mega-Cities Team Up to Fight Climate Change
The mayors of the world's biggest cities convened in Sao Paolo recently to team up against climate change and sea level rise. Neal Peirce sees much promise in the effort.
High Rises: One Size That Doesn't Fit All
Two big names are calling for more high rise development and less of the historic preservation efforts that have often prevented it in dense urban areas. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Inga Saffron says they're wrong.
Washington Towns Reimagine Waterfronts
A number of cities in Washington are embarking on waterfront redevelopment projects. The projects range from the relatively small to the complete makeover.
Friday Funny: The Totalitarian Utopianism of Smurfs
A new book by researcher Antoine Buéno looks at the cartoon and comic book characters the Smurfs as an example of a totalitarian regime with utopian goals.
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
