Community / Economic Development

The exterior of the U.S. Supreme Court, with an American flag flying above its large columns and white marble exterior.

Supreme Court’s College Admissions Ruling Could Impact Environmental Justice Efforts

If rectifying racial injustice no longer passes constitutional muster, what chance does the environmental justice movement have?

August 29, 2023 - New Jersey Monitor

Blue and green playground equipment in Los Angeles with palm tree and mountains in background

Partnering with Schools to Expand Parks Access

The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is partnering with over 560 schools to provide students access to the outdoors, nature education, and recreational programming.

August 29, 2023 - Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation

View of empty paved schoolyard with green picnic benches and basketball hoops in Malibu, California

Expanding Schoolyard Greening in California

To protect kids from extreme heat, California just distributed another $73 million to local school districts to transform schoolyards by converting blacktops to green spaces, planting trees, and other related efforts.

August 25, 2023 - Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

Photo of downtown San Francisco alley superimposed with text bubbles

New Plan Aims to Revive Downtown San Francisco

The proposal focuses on placemaking and street activation as tools for economic development.

August 24, 2023 - Fast Company

Aerial view of Tempe, Arizona with mountains in background

‘Tempe Tomorrow’ Plans for Expected Population Growth

Tempe planners are preparing a General Plan update scheduled for voter approval in March 2024.

August 24, 2023 - Daily Independent

Close-up of rows of clear plastic cups filled with cut fruit on outdoor street vendor table

D.C. Passes New Street Vending Rules

The District’s new regulations lower permit fees, reduce barriers to entry for vendors, and decriminalize vending offenses.

August 24, 2023 - Next City

View of Echo Park Lake at night with artesian fountain and illuminated swan paddle boats and Los Angeles skyline in background

Recreational Programming Helps Communities to Thrive

Los Angeles County's popular and award-winning Parks After Dark program offers multiple important benefits, as documented in a recent UCLA study.

August 23, 2023 - UCLA Newsroom

Red antique stoplight in the middle of wide intersection flanked by brick buildings in downtown rural Toledo, Iowa

Iowa Towns Embrace a ‘Shrink Smart’ Approach

Population loss doesn’t have to be a harbinger of doom. Some rural communities are taking small but impactful steps to improve quality of life for their remaining residents.

August 23, 2023 - The Gazette

View of concrete schoolyard in New York City through fence

An Urbanist Agenda for Education

An opinion article by Angie Schmitt addresses the neglect of education policy in the urbanist political platform, and proposes two specific education policy goals for urbanists to get behind.

August 23, 2023 - Angie Schmitt

View of park playground with palm trees in background

Protecting Kids from Climate Change by Greening Schools

Los Angeles Unified School District is in the process of implementing a plan to ensure that at least 30 percent of all campuses include green spaces by 2035.

August 21, 2023 - The 19th

Corner convenience store with red awning and children's rocking horse toy out front in brick building in Queens, New York City

Bring Back the Corner Store

‘Accessory commercial units’ were once common across U.S. towns and cities. Now, zoning regulations make them illegal in many places.

August 20, 2023 - Strong Towns

View of natural gas power plant with two tall smokestacks on Northern California coast

Making Natural Gas Power Plants Cleaner

Carbon capture and storage has long been associated with coal-burning power plants. Calpine Corp. hopes to apply the controversial technology to existing natural gas power plants, beginning with a pilot project to start this month in the Bay Area.

August 17, 2023 - The Sacramento Bee

Aerial view of downtown Atlanta, Georgia

Quantifying the Losses Caused by New Freeways

Data shows cities lose millions in potential property taxes when highways displace homes and businesses.

August 17, 2023 - Bloomberg CityLab

A tent covered in blue and black tarps sits on a downtown Los Angeles sidewalk with the white ziggurat-topped L.A. City Hall looming in the background

Los Angeles Wants to Transfer Public Land to Marginalized Groups

A systematic reparations plan has begun in the city of Los Angeles, though it’s still too early to tell about the scale and impact of the plan.

August 15, 2023 - City News Service via the Eastsider

Worker wearing orange hard hat and vest over light blue long-sleeved shirt and jeans inspects rooftop solar panel

Report: Cities’ Climate Plans Fail to Include Workforce Development

While a few cities have detailed goals and investment strategies for building their green workforce, most U.S. cities fail to address the need for the training and education of a new generation of workers.

August 15, 2023 - Route Fifty

Cincinnati and Covington

A Roundtable Discussion on the Future of Cities

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been shortage of opinions on the coming evolution of cities. It’s time to check in with the debate.

August 10, 2023 - Vox

View of vast oil drilling field with black oil derricks near Bakersfield, California

The ‘Necessity of Oil and Gas Drilling’

The California Supreme Court on Aug. 3 unanimously overturned a successful 2016 Monterey County ballot measure that banned new oil and gas drilling. According to plaintiff Chevron USA, the justices recognized the ‘necessity of oil and gas drilling.’

August 7, 2023 - San Francisco Chronicle

Enclosed outdoor dining patio on New York City street set up during Covid-19 pandemic

New York City Legalizes Outdoor Dining

Some restaurant owners worry the new requirements will make it too expensive to maintain outdoor dining structures.

August 7, 2023 - The New York Times

View of east Baltimore, Maryland low-slung brick buildings against a lightly cloudy blue sky

A Dirty Little Secret: Rising Property Values Are Incompatible With Affordability

Rising property values come with positive community development, but this shift can make neighborhoods inaccessible to low-income renters and fixed-income homeowners.

August 4, 2023 - Shelterforce Magazine

Close-up of car tailpipe emitting white smoke

Federal Fuel Economy Rules Take Different Path than Emission Standards

The traditional approach for federal fuel economy and emissions standards is for the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency to propose regulations simultaneously. This year is different.

August 3, 2023 - The New York Times

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.