Community / Economic Development

Student Entrepreneur Tackles Traffic Congestion

Frustrated by inadequate public transportation and environmental degradation caused by traffic congestion in the city, a Mumbai MBA student attempts to introduce bike-sharing to this mega-city.

February 23, 2011 - Fast Company

Levi's Boosts Braddock's "Do it Yourself" Revitalization Efforts

The New York Times profiles Braddock Pennsylvania's Mayor John Fetterman, who has practiced a wide range of revitalization strategies to bring his town back from the brink.

February 22, 2011 - New York Times Magazine

Smarter Cities Facilitate World Growth

Cities in India and China, as well as in Dubai, are building smarter cities which spurs more investment and development.

February 22, 2011 - Computing.co.uk

South Sudan Plans its New Capital

A brand new capital city is being planned for the recently approved new country of South Sudan. Juba, the region's current capital, is seen as too chaotic to serve as the new country's capital.

February 22, 2011 - Sudan Votes

Frank Lloyd Wright's Sustained Relevance

A new exhibit looks at the legacy and modern-day relevance of Frank Lloyd Wright, and imagines how he would react to the suburbia of today

February 22, 2011 - Express Milwaukee

Learning from Flint's Experience

In this essay from Places, architecture professor Wes Janz documents and ponders the economic decay of Flint, Michigan.

February 21, 2011 - Places

The Importance of Cities to the World

Neal Peirce expounds on the increasing power and importance of cities, a dominant message in the new book "Triumph of the City" by economist Edward Glaeser.

February 21, 2011 - Citiwire

Last Company Town to Fall

Scotia, California may be the nation's last remaining company town. The entire city could be headed to market this year.

February 21, 2011 - Newsweek

Rio Begins Work on Massive Port Renovation

Ahead of the 2016 Olympics, the host city of Rio de Janeiro is embarking on a massive redevelopment plan in its decaying port area.

February 21, 2011 - Xinhua

Don't Forget Suburbia, Fix It

As more and more people move to cities, they will be the focus of much policy and investment. But the suburbs should not be forgotten, argues Mary Newsom. They should be fixed.

February 18, 2011 - The Charlotte Observer

Fundraising for Detroit RoboCop Statue As Urban Regeneration

A grassroots online campaign has already raised more than $50,000 to build a statue of the science fiction character RoboCop in Detroit. The effort's organizers call it an art project with the goal of urban regeneration.

February 18, 2011 - The Detroit Free Press

Egypt's Prosperity Lies in Urbanization

New York Time's columnist David Leonhardt contends that what Egypt really needs to do is refocus on urbanism.

February 17, 2011 - The New York Times

Can an Airport Drive an Economy?

A new book suggests that airports can be the driving factor that creates vibrant global cities in the future. This review from Metropolis holds some doubts.

February 17, 2011 - Metropolis

Future Slums May Be Suburbs of Today

An Australian report finds that suburbs in Australia may be on the path to slum status if the country's oil addiction is not resisted.

February 16, 2011 - Treehugger

Cities To Lead The Economic Recovery

Innovation Districts are helping metropolitan areas around the country lead the way toward economic recovery.

February 16, 2011 - The Huffington Post

Preserving Affordability As Atlanta's BeltLine Takes Off

The Atlanta BeltLine brings much promise to the city of Atlanta, but will elevated housing costs be an unwelcome addition? Atlanta is looking to a community land trust to preserve affordability for the long-term near this new asset.

February 15, 2011 - Shelterforce Magazine

Will Britain's "Big Society" Version of Localism Work?

The Globe & Mail takes an in-depth look at Prime Minister David Cameron's "Big Society" agenda, which will devolve power to local communities and see an "army" of volunteers responsible for such things as running schools and maintaining parks.

February 15, 2011 - The Globe and Mail

The Problem with Boosterism

Urban-boosters in Cleveland and other Rust Belt locales are fierce defenders of their much-maligned cities. But does civic boosterism gloss over the region's very real problems? Worse, does it serve to protect the dysfunctional status quo?

February 15, 2011 - Rust Wire

Back-and-Forth on Downtown Vancouver

The Tyee presents a conversation between two Vancouver urban thinkers about the city's downtown and how some efforts to improve the city's core have worked while others have fallen short.

February 15, 2011 - The Tyee

Urging Sponsorships to Fund L.A. Transit

One way to help build an expensive new extension of L.A's subway system is to accept corporate sponsorships, argues Joel Epstein in this op-ed.

February 15, 2011 - Los Angeles Business Journal

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.