Community / Economic Development

Building Neighborhoods Through Grocery Stores

To survive, neighborhoods need to be commercially viable. A group called the Food Trust believes grocery stores are a good starting point for creating that economic climate.

May 20, 2010 - The Atlantic

Livable Cities and Political Choices

People need to stop thinking about cities as bundles of technical problems that the planners must solve for them and to start thinking about the different ways that they would live in different types of cities, says Charles Siegel.

May 20, 2010 - Charles Siegel

China's Grand High Speed Rail Plans

China has plans not only to expand its own network of high speed trains, but to build the trains for the rest of the world. They are already giving Japan and Europe a run for their money. Not bad considering their first HSR line opened in 2008.

May 19, 2010 - The Washington Post

Breaking Down the Walls in Jerusalem

Deputy Mayor Naomi Tsur of Jerusalem is proposing that the city must 'emerge from its [many] walls', and connect and enhance its vibrant public spaces.

May 19, 2010 - myurbanist

The City That Avoided Gentrification

Howard Ahmanson poses the idea that Los Angeles might be the least gentrified city in the U.S., with a history of white flight south and immigrants improving their own neighborhoods and holding on to them.

May 19, 2010 - New Geography

Privatized Transit: Who Profits?

Yonah Freemark argues that encouraging developers to build their own transit (as Christopher Leinberger recently argued) could be highly problematic.

May 18, 2010 - Next American City

Abu Dhabi Uneasy About its Role in New Movie

The new "Sex and the City" movie was set -- but not shot -- in Abu Dhabi. Now officials there are trying to decide whether or not to release the film to local audiences, as the city tries to control its brand and image.

May 18, 2010 - Associated Press

Small Efforts in Fight Against Cincinnati Food Deserts

A major grocer in Ohio is trying to keep some of its smaller stores open in areas that would otherwise be food deserts. But profits are hard to come by, and stores continue to move out of town.

May 18, 2010 - The Cincinnati Enquirer

Best Cities to Get Laid... Off

These 10 American cities top the nation as being home to the most layoffs. California is a hotbed.

May 18, 2010 - ABC

City Going Broke Maintaining Public Spaces

The City of Walnut, California says it is shelling out $300,000 a year to light streets and maintain public parks and plazas. The property tax assessment that is supposed to pay for maintainance hasn't been increased since the 1990s.

May 17, 2010 - The San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Building Boom In Land Of Foreclosures

It seems inconceivable - building new homes next to new, vacant homes, but with depressed prices for land and labor a new market for home-buyers who missed out on foreclosure sales has developed in states hit worst by the housing crisis.

May 17, 2010 - The New York Times - Business Day

Creative Reuse Nets Local Food

What can you do with an old crane factory? Turn it into a fish farm, and a hydroponic produce operation.

May 17, 2010 - Wall Street Journal

Working From Home: An Urban Planning Revolution

A piece in The Atlantic argues that telecommuting trends could have significant impacts on the built environment.

May 17, 2010 - The Atlantic

Trying to Fit In With the Cool Kids

This post from The Urbanophile explores the world of city branding, and argues that some cities are making the mistake of ignoring their own assets and focusing on trying to embrace the successful assets of others.

May 17, 2010 - The Urbanophile

A Report from Main Street, O.K.

The National Main Street Conference was in Oklahoma City last week. Bob Phipps, a retail consultant, talks about what he got out of the event.

May 14, 2010 - The Oklahoman

Schwarzenegger Loots Redevelopment Agencies

A Sacramento State Court gave the Governor permission to redirect money from local redevelopment agency funds to prop up local education.

May 13, 2010 - The Sacramento Bee

City And Business House Homeless

San Antonio, Texas, is partnering with business and nonprofit groups on a project aimed at curbing homelessness.

May 13, 2010 - San Antonio Express-News

Exciting Things Happening in Medellín

Medellín, Colombia is better known for drug kingpins than architects, but a boom in exciting contemporary architecture with a humanitarian approach has both planners and designers flocking to the city.

May 11, 2010 - The Los Angeles Times

Richard Florida and The Great Reset

The Urbanophile reviews Richard Florida's new book, defending his populist approach and tackling Florida's central arguments of investing in the grassroots, encouraging "rentership" and the fundamental societal changes coming soon.

May 10, 2010 - The Urbanophile

The Infrastructural Benefit of South Africa's World Cup

Next month's World Cup in South Africa will bring a lot of attention to the country, and a lot of opportunity. Though many hope the country will see an economic benefit, the biggest impact is likely to be the creation of urban infrastructure.

May 10, 2010 - Nate Berg

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.