Community / Economic Development
With Tourism Down, Japanese Cities Question Their Attractions
Japan is struggling to lure tourists, which is causing officials there to rethink how they market their cities and what sorts of attractions they should be offering.
Peak Hour Parking Pricing Working In Greenwich Village & Brooklyn
Marketplace reports on the parking market from NYC. Peak hour parking is being applied on Sixth Ave in Greenwich Village as a trial to increase parking availability and decrease congestion. Due to positive results, it's now being tried in Brooklyn.
Baking in Public, at the Community Oven
A growing grassroots effort for community-building is to build brick ovens in vacant lots to encourage gatherings. Kyla Fullenwider of GOOD gives step-by-step instructions for putting one in your neighborhood.
How Filming Rules Remade New York City
This post from Places looks at how former New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay's embrace of the film industry helped transform the city.
Some Say Tysons Corner Density Plans Create Too Many Disincentives
Citizens in Tysons Corner worry that plans to densify the city don't offer enough incentives to developers to come to town.
The Key to Livability May Be Education
Pittsburgh and other college towns top Forbes Magazine's annual Most Livable Cities list of 2010.
The Return of the "Local"
Stacy Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance summarizes some of the key positive trends in re-localization.
Portland's Empty Urban Renewal Area
Tax breaks and incentives helped spur a rash of development in Portland's South Waterfront district. But the development has struggled to lure residents.
Science City Approved in Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland, could become home to a new "science city" development that creates a hub of scientific research institutions and thousands of jobs.
Reintroducing Cars To Pedestrian Malls
Downtown Sacramento's 'K' St. has been one of the city's most notable economic failures. Banning cars while providing the light rail an undisturbed path never fulfilled the hopes that urban planners had for the pedestrian mall. Now cars will return.
More Companies Moving Back to the City
The suburbanization of business headquarters may be coming to an end.
A Local City Way of Thinking
That's where Sugar Hill, Georgia is headed, says City Manager Bob Hail. He says, "You can live here, work here and you can play here. That's the whole idea."
Why Peak Oil Will Bring us Closer
In this excerpt from his new book "Eaarth", Bill McKibben discusses how such efforts as the Transition movement and farmer's markets are tapping into our need for neighbors.
Building A Bio-Med Hub in Cleveland
Fast Company's annual list of innovative cities takes a look at Cleveland, which has struggled with population loss but emphasized its identity as a center for health care industries.
The Emerging Arts Center of Texas
Fast Company's annual list of innovative cities highlights Dallas as an emerging hub of culture.
Liverpool is Thriving
"It's the fabric, stupid," says writer Stephen Bayley, referring to Liverpool's return to the world stage thanks to a combination of great historic bones and a new influx of exciting architecture.
How Should Obama Tackle Detroit?
This TIME article looks at possible federal approaches to assist Detroit, from new alternative energy factories to urban agriculture initiatives.
Brightening Up The Landscape
A paint company is sponsoring a project to brighten up dull communities by painting them with bright colors.
Andrés Duany Wants to Reform The Public Process
Architect and urban innovator Andrés Duany has a new bone of contention: the usurping of the planning process by the public during the approval stage for new projects. Managing Editor Tim Halbur reports from Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Relax, Smart Growth is Your Friend
Roger K. Lewis of The Washington Post paints a reassuring picture for suburban homeowners frightened of smart growth. Home values will go up, and you'll be able to walk to get a cup of coffee, says Lewis.
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
