Community / Economic Development
Inner-City Suburbs Rebranded as 'Classic Towns'
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the MPO for the Philadelphia metropolitan region, has introduced an innovate way of making people aware of the benefits of older, established suburbs: market them.
NIMBYism Strikes as Residents Fight Senior Housing
Citizens in Weston, Massachusetts, one of America's toniest suburbs, continue to block a local college's effort to build senior housing, raise its endowment and provide scholarships for low-income students.
Curbside Dining
In the summer, a handful of New Yorkers like Calvin Tsao remake public space into their own personal dining rooms.
Suburbs and City Cores Need Cohesion
Rising energy prices and falling home values are bringing many exurban dwellers closer to the city core. In this commentary, Keith Schneider argues that central cities and inner-ring suburbs need to work with each other to stay afloat.
Watch WalMart Spread Across the American Landscape
Flowing Data used zip codes and other data to create an animated map showing the growth of WalMart from the first store in Arkansas in 1962 until today, when the map is covered with stores.
Starbucks Closures Hit Home
Paul Shigley reflects on the impact of a Starbucks closing in downtown Redding, a small town in northern California.
Can Small Town America Survive the End of Cheap Gas?
With few local job opportunities, residents in small towns have grown accustomed to long commutes to cities. But with high gas prices making those commutes unaffordable, some economists wonder how much longer small towns can retain their populations.
Community Energy Planning Paying Off in Germany
A small town in Germany is demonstrating that a strategy of distributed, renewable and locally-controlled energy production can not only be Earth-friendly but profitable.
Urban Neighborhood Seeks Grocery Store
San Francisco's Tenderloin district- notoriously seedy and poor- is also one the densest neighborhoods in the city, and greatly in need of fresh produce and groceries. City officials are trying to attract a store, but it's a tough sell.
Yukon Ho! The New Rush North
It's Gold Rush days long since passed, Canada's Yukon Territory was until recently a wild, myth-bound place. But now oil and gas revenues are fueling new construction and population growth.
Property Owners Spooked By Eminent Domain Letter
1,300 property owners in Camden, New Jersey whose homes are in a new redevelopment zone were sent letters explaining eminent domain, but the city says it has no intention of taking their homes.
Exurbs Hit Hard by Housing Crisis
Exurban developments are struggling to control their rampant foreclosure rates and plummeting housing values.
Columnist Neal Peirce Discusses the Past and Future of the Metropolis
Planetizen talks with journalist and syndicated columnist Neal Peirce about the trends he's seen over the course of his career and the future of America's metropolitan regions.
Does HUD Need To Be Modernized?
Professor Sudhir Venkatesh of Columbia believe it is time for HUD to be replaced by a more nimble agency capable of responding to the 21st century city.
Not As Poor As You Think
This segment from NPR looks at results from a new study that show many poor neighborhoods actually have the potential for vibrant economies.
Starbucks Closing Hundreds of Stores
After seemingly endless expansion, Starbucks begins closing some 600 stores, prompting a "save Starbucks" campaign.
Moscow Tops List of World's Most Expensive Cities
Moscow tops an annual ranking of the world's most expensive cities. The survey examines housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment for corporations and government agencies determining living costs for expats.
Least Economically Developed: Fresno
This segment from NPR looks at the economy of the central California city of Fresno, which has been named the least economically developed part of the country by a recent report.
'Suburban Refugees' Could Mean Trouble For Cities
The economic decline of the suburbs could flood cities like New York with "suburban economic refugees". This commentary from the New York Post warns that this is bad news for cities.
Stadium Development Could Hurt More Than Help
New data on stadium development show that economic benefits fall way short of public investment.
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
