Community / Economic Development
Reviving a Hardscrabble Steel Town
Mayor John Fetterman of Braddock, PA struggles with the challenges of reviving a former steel town that has lost 90% of its peak population.
Timber Town Is Reborn As Manufacturer
A former Oregon timber town learned to evolve when its logging business dried up in the '80s, and now boasts a growing manufacturing industry. It's being seen as a model for other towns facing similar changes.
Foreclosures Become Illegal Skate Parks
The New York Times reports that skateboarders are coming from as far away as Germany to skate empty swimming pools throughout foreclosed neighborhoods in cities like Fresno, where boarders have set up shop.
Pain at the Pump, Suburban Blues and the Resurgence of Compact Growth
A paradigm shift is occurring in the development patterns of American cities -- even the inner cities that have struggled for decades with decay and abandonment, writes Kofi Sefa-Boakye of the Compton Community Redevelopment Agency.
An Economy of Immigrants
Next American City reports on a recent conference that emphasized the role of immigrants in fueling economic growth.
Buffalo Adopting SmartCode
Commissioner of Economic Development Brian Reilly makes the case to overhaul the city's 1951 zoning ordinance to a form-based SmartCode.
Businesses Invest In City Plan To Fight Homelessness
Businesses in Fort Worth, Texas, invest in a city-led plan to combat homelessness.
Reasons to Smile in 2008
Neal Peirce reflects on the happier moments of 2008 -- and a future that seems bent on creating better places and communities.
Galveston's Gamble
City leaders in Galveston looking for ways to recover from Hurricane Ike turn to an old staple of the local economy: gambling.
The Case Against San Francisco's Congestion Pricing Plan
In this op-ed, "San Francisco is not London", Steve Falk, the CEO of the S.F. Chamber of Commerce, explains why London-style congestion pricing is inappropriate for the downtown core - that it would only hurt businesses without reducing congestion.
Remade as a Retail Mecca, Emeryville Falters
Emeryville, CA is a success story of redevelopment. City leaders transformed a decaying industrial area into a booming retail landscape. But with the economic downturn, locals are questioning the wisdom of basing the city on retail.
Blogging the Blight of a Deteriorated Detroit Neighborhood
Amid the citywide blight of Detroit is the City Airport neighborhood -- rife with crime and virtually deserted by residents. But now former residents have begun to write and blog about the neighborhood, its better times and its possible futures.
Suburbs Benefit From an Urban President, Too
In fact, says one planner, suburbs and exurbs can expect to see some of the biggest changes of all, at least from infrastructure and transportation funding.
Shrinking City Planning
Detroit's population is rapidly declining, but the answer to revitalizing the city may lie in part in urban farming.
The City on Hiatus
Nick Paumgarten imagines a New York City landscape that would result from a present-day economic crisis.
Of Chickens and Cities
In Cleveland, the rise of urban agriculture has spurred new regulations intended to help farmers raise chickens or bees. Some fear, however, the newly created red tape makes it more difficult.
Schwarzenegger: Decaying Infrastructure Is Hurting Economy
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger writes that the failure of the U.S. to invest in infrastructure is hurting the economy, and a massive investment is necessary.
Stimulus Money Pits Cities Against States
In an effort to secure federal stimulus funding, cities and states are elbowing to see who can get transportation projects started the fastest.
Housing for the Mentally Ill
Last week, a Santa Barbara apartment community, The Garden Center, opened to 38 new residents. The apartments were specifically designed to combat homelessness through housing and mental health care all at once.
When Neighborhoods Improve, Social Safety Nets Unravel
Residents of one Las Vegas community fear being evicted as an urban renewal project goes underway. According to this article, projects like this often hurt neighborhoods by destroying the social ties they once contained.
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
