Community / Economic Development
Edward Glaeser and Green Cities
Another look at Edward Glaeser's provocative new book Triumph of the City, this time by reporter Mary Newsom and with a focus on Glaeser's opinions on the city and the environment.
Are Local Businesses Making a Comeback?
Styled after Harper's Index, this "Localism Index" suggests that local economies and independent businesses might just be making a comeback.
Greenfield Economics Explained
Aaron Renn of Urbanophile explains the allure of "greenfield economics" and that the process of urban and suburban decay is cyclical in nature.
Urban Design Marathon Comes to Los Angeles
The 72 hour event is intended to challenge the idea that creating change in public space is long and difficult, explains the event's founder, Karem Halbrecht.
The Smart-Growth Governor
Former Maryland Governor Parris Glendening says that in some ways the economic downturn in the U.S. has been a good thing because it gave the state a chance to reevaluate development patterns.
The Federal Role in Supporting Urban Manufacturing
Revitalizing American manufacturing is widely-acknowledged as vital to our country’s economic recovery and long-term prosperity, but it is equally essential to understand the changing of this sector in order to make smart policy decisions.
Pursuing New Development Ideas
As funding falters in the private sector, some privately- or university-driven design centers are still pursuing new ideas is urban design and development. Places profiles one at the University of Arkansas.
How To Build A Crosswalk
Grist points to a new series of blog posts offering step-by-step instructions on how to get a crosswalk installed in your neighborhood.
Funds to Demolish Abandoned Buildings Grow
The city of Youngstown, Ohio, is heavily reliant on funding from grants and outside sources to help pay for the clearing of abandoned properties. Those funds have grown since last year.
Recovery and Rebirth in Cleveland
A city in decline for decades, Cleveland is showing signs of recovery, according to this article from Smithsonian.
Creating a Culture of Transit
Even office parks in the exurbs can have high rates of transit use, according to success seen at an office park in San Ramon, California.
Planning and Childhood Health
Marissa Ramirez, a planner, biologist, and former cancer researcher, writes about the connection between the neighborhoods children grow up in and their health later in life.
Do It Yourself Urban Design
Gordon Douglas, writing for Good Magazine, explains that there has been an increase in the "unauthorized, creative alteration of public spaces for the common good" by enterprising citizens.
Best Cities for Small Businesses
Luring business has long been a major strategy among cities to stay prosperous. This ranking lists the cities in America that are best at bringing in and harboring small businesses.
Metro Job Generators
Regional business planning and cooperation at the metropolitan level is creating hubs of prosperity in the U.S.
Redevelopment Agencies' Debt Overshadows Revenue
California's redevelopment agencies have almost as much if not more debt than what they pull in from tax revenues, according to this investigation by The Wall Street Journal.
Bulldozing Quincy, Mass - and Building it Back Up
Most cities don't get the chance to start from scratch. But Quincy, Mass. plans to raze most of its 50-acre center and build it anew with the aid of a private developer's upfront funding - a plan that may rewrite the rules of urban development.
Growth Does Not Equal Productivity
Richard Florida writes that population growth and wealth do not go hand in hand -- wealth comes from improvements in productivity. In fact, some of the areas with the biggest leaps in population are suffering real declines in wealth.
The Next Dubai
The tiny mideast country of Qatar is a new hotbed of infrastructure activity and foreign investment, leading some to suggest that it will be the next place to take off in the region.
10 Tips for Building a Stadium in L.A.
As the city of Los Angeles edges closer to approving the construction of a new sports stadium in downtown, this post from Curbed LA offers 10 suggestions on how the stadium could and should fit into the city.
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
