Community / Economic Development
Street Food Vendors Approved in Vancouver
Vancouver is expanding its city-approved downtown street food vending program, with a recently approved list of new vendors allowed to cook and sell food from carts on the street.
America's New Ghost Towns
Depopulation and empty houses are creating modern day ghost towns throughout America. This piece introduces the latest class of emptying areas.
Revitalizing Mountain View
The former City Manager of Mountain View explains how a city once known as a second-class dormitory community turned its downtown area into a lively, successful, and loved place.
Every City For Itself: Adapting to Climate Change
What cities are best prepared for climate change, and which will falter? Josh Stephens reviews Climatopolis: How Our Cities Will Thrive in a Hotter Future by Matthew Kahn.
The Good and Bad of London's "Boris Bikes"
According to Joe Peach of This Big City, London public transit finally got something right with its cycle hire scheme, now known as "Boris Bikes."
Wall Street Journal Ranks U.S.' Most Miserable Cities
The WSJ's annual Misery Index looked at unemployment rates, gas prices, and changes in home values to determine the rankings of 20 major US cities.
Rethinking Retail Strategies in an Urbanizing U.S.
Writing for Retail Traffic Magazine, David Lynn claims that a renewed urbanization movement in the United States will drive retailers and investors to change their strategies to fit a more urban market.
Holland, Michigan's Heated Sidewalks Bring People Together
A small town in Michigan created a network of underground pipes to divert waste heat from its power plant to downtown streets and sidewalks. Today, the community benefits from sidewalks that remain clear and dry no matter how cold it gets.
Americans Prefer Smart Growth Neighborhoods, Study Finds
A recent study by the National Association of Realtors found that 56 per cent of respondents preferred walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods over neighborhoods that required more driving between home, work, and recreation.
Consolidating Detroit
As Detroit shrinks, a team of consultants and city officials are faced with the daunting task of reforming a city that is largely full of holes.
Cleanup Crew Plays Ball in Closed Tiger Stadium
Volunteers in Detroit recently performed a community cleanup in an unlikely location: the old Tiger Stadium.
Growth in Population, Not Necessarily in Prosperity
States are rowing in population, but not necessarily in terms of their economies. This post from The Atlantic explores why this presumed relationship isn't actually occurring.
Developer Claims That Public Transit Works For Baseball, But Not Football Fans
An executive of Majestic Realty, one of the developers bidding to construct an NFL stadium in Los Angeles, cited sprawl in the City of Industry as an advantage over AEG's proposal to build a stadium in downtown LA.
31 "Silver Bullet Solutions" for Urban Redevelopment
Rod Stevens, a business consultant specializing in urban ventures, compiled a list of the most common "silver bullet" solutions put in place by city leaders to address redevelopment over the past 60 years.
The Role and Impact of Preservation in L.A.
In this Q&A, architect Brenda Levin talks about the role of preservation in Los Angeles, and how restoring and reusing some of the city's historic buildings has created a long-term benefit.
Joel Kotkin On "The Best Cities For Minority Entrepreneurs"
Forbes asked Joel Kotkin, Wendell Cox, and Erika Ozuna to examine entrepreneurial trends among immigrants in the nation's largest metropolitan areas. The results of their study are contained in this article.
'Pocket Neighborhoods' On the Rise
Small neighborhood developments of cottages with low square footage known as "pocket neighborhoods" are catching on, especially with empty nesters looking to downsize.
Bright City Goes Dim
Facing energy shortages, the city of Tokyo, Japan, has been forced to cut down its energy usage, which is changing the bustling and brightly lit city's character.
The Tricky Business of "Taxing" Non-Profits
Payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) are a popular new way for cash-strapped cities to add to their revenue by swapping voluntary payments from nonprofits for property taxes. The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy evaluates this novel practice.
WalMart and Target: Your New Neighbors
Who ever heard of "small-box stores"? Retail experts say the Walmarts and Targets of the world should have great success with smaller stores in urban settings.
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
