Community / Economic Development

Homeless Encampment

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.

October 19, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Avondale

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.

October 19, 2019 - WCPO

Suburban Home

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.

October 16, 2019 - Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research

Parks and Open Space

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.

October 16, 2019 - Cleveland.com

Redlining Map

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.

October 15, 2019 - Brookings

National Memorial Day Parade

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.

October 15, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Union Market Washington D.C.

D.C.'s Food Hall Boom Going Strong

Food halls continue to be popular additions to the restaurant scene in Washington, D.C.

October 12, 2019 - Washington Business Journal

New York jail

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.

October 11, 2019 - The Architect's Newspaper

Pacific Ocean

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.

October 10, 2019 - The Planning Report

Metro Crenshaw/LAX Line

'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.

October 9, 2019 - The Planning Report

Tulsa, Oklahoma

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.

October 8, 2019 - Curbed

Boston West End

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.

October 3, 2019 - The Urbanist

Peach Tree

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.

October 3, 2019 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Project Housing

Census Tract Changes Could Expand Opportunity Zones

Tract boundary revisions for the 2020 Census could mean new opportunity zone designations as well.

October 2, 2019 - Bloomberg Tax

Wynyard Quarter

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.

October 2, 2019 - PlaceShakers

Homelessness

Boulders Meant to Deter Homeless Cause a Ruckus in San Francisco

Desperate times. Desperate measures.

October 1, 2019 - The San Francisco Examiner

Los Angeles Street

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.

October 1, 2019 - The Planning Report

Los Angeles River Bike Path

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.

September 30, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Puget Sound

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.

September 29, 2019 - The Urbanist

Homeless Living in RVs

Denver Suburb Bans RVs From Parking on Streets Citywide

Lakewood is taking an aggressive approach to homeless people sleeping in cars on public streets.

September 28, 2019 - The Denver Post

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.