Community / Economic Development

Massive Discrepancies Identified in Official Homeless Counts
The Los Angeles Times crunched data from the 2019 point-in-time count of homelessness in Los Angeles County. What they found diverged profoundly from official findings.

Neighborhood Responds as Gentrification Concerns Spread in Cincinnati
Development interest is flocking to Avondale, a mostly Black neighborhood with relatively high poverty rates in Cincinnati.

Report: Housing Choice Vouchers Fall Short of Intended Goals in Houston Region
The Housing Choice Voucher program is intended to provide new opportunities for low-income Americans to live in higher-priced neighborhoods, but few recipients of vouchers are taking full advantage of those opportunities.

Cleveland Launches Tree Replenishment Program
The city of Cleveland will hope to reap environmental and economic rewards by spending $1 million a year to regrow its tree canopy.

Study: Historical Redlining Maps No Longer a Proxy for Black America
Black Americans have moved on from formerly redlined neighborhoods, and other minorities and whites have moved in. The wave of presidential campaigns that have based housing policy proposals on redlining maps might be misguided as a result.

Where to Find the 'Opportunity Bargains' of Economic and Social Mobility
A few blue-collar cities proximate to Boston offer case studies of the "opportunity bargains" identified in the 2018 Opportunity Atlas published by Harvard and Brown universities an the U.S. Census.

D.C.'s Food Hall Boom Going Strong
Food halls continue to be popular additions to the restaurant scene in Washington, D.C.

Planning for Jails in New York City Neighborhoods
With a 9-3 vote, the New York City Planning Commission recently approved a plan that would relocate jails into the city's boroughs after shutting down the jail on Rikers Island.

A C40-Ready Framework for Local Climate Action in Santa Monica
Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole outlines the city's actions and policies to realize its ambitious C40 goals.

'Destination Crenshaw' Showcases South L.A.'s Strategic Advantage—Black Culture
Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson outlines Destination Crenshaw and highlights the economic development and community investment opportunities it brings to South L.A.

2019 Great Places in America Announced
The American Planning Association has announced four neighborhoods, six public spaces, and three streets as 2019 Great Places in America honorees. Nominations for the people's Choice category are still open.

Watch: The Dark Side of Eminent Domain
In cities like Boston, the government’s right to take private property displaced residents and destroyed vulnerable neighborhoods and communities.

Food Forests Bear Fruit in the Atlanta Region
The Atlanta suburb of Lilburn is the latest city to plant fruit trees for the purpose of feeding the public.

Census Tract Changes Could Expand Opportunity Zones
Tract boundary revisions for the 2020 Census could mean new opportunity zone designations as well.

Code Score: A New Aid for Aligning Policy and Vision With Outcomes
A compendium of benefits of walkable urban places, put together by Hazel Borys and Kaid Benfield.

Boulders Meant to Deter Homeless Cause a Ruckus in San Francisco
Desperate times. Desperate measures.

L.A.'s Strategy for 'Safe, Mobile, and Sustainable' Streets
Streets LA General Manager Adel Hagekhalil lays out his priorities and plans for transforming Los Angeles into a system of world-class streets.

L.A. River Restoration Challenged by Gentrification, Environmental Concerns
A massive effort to restore the Los Angeles River to more public access and open space amentias continues to raise the specter of gentrification in neighborhoods already feeling the pressure of the housing market.

Op-Ed: Seattle Resilience Roadmap Feels 'Retrospective'
Natalie Bicknell notes several deficiencies in the roadmap that resulted from Seattle's participation in the Rockefeller Foundation's now-defunct 100 Resilient Cities program.

Denver Suburb Bans RVs From Parking on Streets Citywide
Lakewood is taking an aggressive approach to homeless people sleeping in cars on public streets.
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EMC Planning Group, Inc.
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Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service