Community / Economic Development
Five Materials Improving Sustainability In Construction
Joe Peach explains the technology behind five materials that will dramatically increase sustainability in the building industry. Among the list are wool bricks which are stronger, greater insulators and don't require firing to set.
White Elephant Stadia Plague South Africa
Just months after the completion of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, expensive stadia built for the event sit empty and unused.
Urban Agriculture Program Gets Boost in Oakland
A small-scale urban agriculture project in Oakland, California is set to receive a $4 million grant to expand its work.
Friday Funny: Bad Planning At Playtime
A play area for children at the Salt Lake City airport is eerily representative of modern city development patterns in the United States, says the Conservative Planner.
A Good Mayor is Hard to Find
Steven Malanga looks at how Newark's Cory Booker and Detroit's Dave Bing are reforming their troubled cities.
Pittsburgh: The City That Bounced Back
Pittsburgh is the new poster child for recovery, the city that managed to turn around its economic struggles. Ben Schulman digs in to figure out if how the myth meets reality.
Best and Worst States for Business Taxes
The Tax Foundation has released the newest edition of its State Business Tax Climate Index, which ranks from 1 (best) to 50 (worst) the tax systems of the 50 states. According to the press release, South Dakota comes out on top.
10 Places Poised for Economic Recovery
Joel Kotkin hypothesizes as to which cities will emerge from the recession stronger than ever.
Lassoing a Plan for El Paso
Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX will be getting 30,000 more troops under the Base Realignment and Closure program, which means a major effort to plan for the added people.
A Model of Main St. Revitalization
Roberta Brandes Gratz pays a visit to Mt. Morris, New York, a town that many are looking at as a prime example of economic revitalization.
Recession Chic in Braddock, PA
Braddock has become the poster child for a sort of bootstrap revitalization - an attitude that Levi's wants to rub off on their jeans. In exchange for using Braddock as a brand enhancer, the company built Braddock a community center.
Safest City Neighborhood in the U.S. is in Los Angeles
As WalletPop notes, "some city neighborhoods are actually safer than most neighborhoods in America regardless of whether they are urban or rural." The area around Cahuenga Blvd. in L.A. comes out on top, with a crime rate of .96 per thousand.
What Makes A City Great? An American Perspective
H.V. Savitch attempts to break down the attributes that make a city great, and concludes that a city need not score high in all the categories in order to achieve greatness.
City Branding Can't Be Lipstick on a Pig
PlaceMaker Scott Doyon says that for cities -- maybe more than any other organization -- branding is about who you really are, and what what you really do, not a meaningless slogan or logo.
Slum Redevelopment Drives Real Estate Market In Mumbai
With not much undeveloped land left in Mumbai for fresh developments, the city’s real estate growth will largely be propelled by the success of its many slum redevelopment schemes, according to a recent study.
Shanghai Expo Closes With Focus On "Development through Development"
The Expo’s stated theme was “Better City, Better Life,” and organizers boasted it was the first World’s Fair devoted to the contemplation of cities.
"Urban Renewal Was Never Really A Planner's Idea"
So says APA President Mitchell Silver, AICP, in a recent interview. "...but planners were the agents, they had to implement it."
Nigerian Urban Renewal Project May Leave 200,000 Homeless
A waterfront redevelopment project in Port Harcourt is drawing fire from human rights advocates.
The Economic Impact of Energy Efficiency Retrofits
Cary Lowe, Los Angeles-based attorney and advocate for energy efficiency, makes the case for the economic benefits of energy efficiency retrofits to the state of California.
Two Major Projects, Some Trouble in Kansas City
Two major projects underway in Kansas City will make a significant impact on the city's downtown and skyline, but problems with one may delay its completion.
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
