Community / Economic Development

Global corporations like Frito Lay and Barnes and Noble are attempting to co-opt the word 'local' into their branding.

Cities along the Hudson River in New York are pushing plans to build more docks along the waterfront.

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that the first year of the recession has taken a harsh toll and that these impacts are being particularly felt in three key regions in the country.

Japan wants to end its spending on wasteful construction projects, which are the cause of the country's massive debt. But for one small town on the verge of losing a dam, the "wasteful" project is the center of the local economy.

Housing development, architecture and community building have found a new learning lab in the lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

LEED for Neighborhood Design (LEED-ND) is approved to become a permanent certification program.

Maine mill town asks citizens to record their memories at downtown "Heart Spots" as part of the master planning process.

Vision 42 has proposed closing NYC's 42nd Street to car traffic and adding light rail along its length. The Mayor isn't interested, but lots of others are.

A proposal to create a new outdoor advertising district in San Francisco has some locals anticipating a retail revival, while others dread the possible billboard blight.

Speaking to the Detroit Economic Club recently, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood addressed high-speed rail, Detroit's bus crisis, and the economic future of the area.

In order to cope with the Israeli blockade, millions of dollars have been invested in tunnels between Gaza and Egypt. Israel has bombed many of them. Now investors want their money back.

States across the US are stepping up their efforts to attract business from outside their borders. New Hampshire woos investors from its neighbors and the California-Nevada rivalry heats up.

A successful small business in Chicago has ruffled some feathers in a neighborhood grappling with crime and poverty. Why? Because Felony Franks is too unsavory a name, even for a hot dog stand that employs ex-convicts.

Citing a recent study that demonstrates higher home values in walkable neighborhoods, officials in El Paso say it's time to change the way their city grows.

Joel Kotkin sees a trend in a 'New Localism'- people aren't moving around like they used to, and it's causing them to reengage with their communities.

Townships surrounding Philadelphia have managed to survive the recession until now, but city coffers are now going into the red and cities are being forced to take action.

Richard Florida notes that there are only 40 significant mega-regions that drive the global economy, and are poised for faster recovery from the economic slowdown.