Community / Economic Development
Miami Transformed By Art Festivals
This article from the Miami Herald looks at the annual art fair Art Basel and how it transforms the city -- temporarily and permanently.
Cities Struggling to Work With Stabilization Funds
Congress has approved a $4 billion federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program, but as the funding trickles down to cities, many find the money too tight to solve many of their problems.
Vancouver Growth Primarily Second Homes
Construction is booming in Vancouver, with tall condo buildings rising around the city. The city has become more sophisticated over the last several years, and has attracted a significant market of second-home buyers.
Rural Town Brings in Students for Preliminary Planning
Middlebury College students have been commissioned to simply get to know Starksboro, Vermont for a semester. The hope is that their findings will help develop a plan that embraces growth while upholding the things unique to the small town.
Cemetery Moved For Landfill?
Elected officials in the Atlanta area decide to relocate a historic cemetery to make room for a landfill. NAACP officials believe the relocation fits a pattern of racial discrimination.
The Budget and Billy the Elephant
Los Angeles' budget shortfall could mean sending its zoo's only elephant to a Northern California sanctuary. Over time, funding for city services are also predicted to get slashed.
City Tackles Coyotes
Austin officials are wrestling with how to confront coyotes encroaching on suburban and urban neighborhoods.
Chicago Privatizes Parking
For $1.16 billion, Chicago Parking Meters LLC, has won the rights to manage Chicago's parking meters. This is one step the city has taken to ease budget shortfalls.
Relaxing Sign Rules
The city of San Angelo, Texas bucks a regional trend towards stricter regulations for signs used as advertising.
Financial Turmoil Leads to Reverse Migration in China
As more and more of China's "floating population" return from their city jobs to their farms, officials brace for backlash from the recently unemployed.
Clearing the Way for Mixed-Use, But Economy Puts Projects On Hold
The people of Salt Lake City have gotten behind the switch to mixed-use, and developers have been clearing away old sprawl. But the flailing economy has put projects on hold, leaving the city with a landscape full of holes.
Could Vagrants Doom A Rebounding Downtown?
The issues posed by homeless people in downtown Riverside, California, are not out of the ordinary. But they definitely do not help the city's efforts to revitalize downtown.
For Cities, Cutting Back May Simply Mean Streamlining
Tough economic times spell troubles for city budgets. One way to cut back on costs is to rethink operation of seemingly untouchable public safety services like police and firefighters, according to this column from Neal Peirce.
New Rail Brings Opportunities and Fears to East L.A.
As rail expands into East L.A., residents are both excited about economic opportunities and worried about gentrification and the possible loss of the area's distinct Latino character.
Mumbai After Terrorist Attacks
As Mumbai recovers from the recent terrorist attacks, social worker Katia Savchuk reflects on how cities can be resilient to terrorism.
Cities: Use What You've Got
According to Philip Myrick, communities that will fare the best economically are the ones that think locally and employ placemaking strategies.
NOLA Medical Campus to Replace Historic Buildings
A proposed New Orleans hospital will have to be built on top of an historic neighborhood that some residents feel that they have just regained. Those in favor of the project insist that the selection of that site was necessary.
How to Empower the World's Poor
The key to solving global poverty is possessing secure land and property tenure, according to this opinion piece. Having such security enables poor communities, even those here at home, to make demands from their governments.
From a Zombie Economy to a New Economy
The stream of Washington bailouts is a doomed attempt to revive a 'zombie economy', argues James Howard Kunstler. He believes we need to start organizing new, local economies built around growing food, making things and transporting them by rail.
Expatriates Find Competition in Mumbai
Floods of British expatriates moving to Mumbai are finding the city practically as competitive and sometimes even more expensive than home.
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
