From Thai Towns to Little Ethiopias, cultural and ethnically-themed neighborhoods are increasingly sought by cities to lure economic activity and residents.
Developers and cultutral leaders are "negotiating with the city of Long Beach, east of Los Angeles, to create America's first Cambodia Town."
"If they succeed, it will join a fast-growing club. Before 2000 there were four signposted ethnic enclaves in and around Los Angeles: Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Koreatown and Little Saigon in Orange County. Since then a Little Armenia has appeared, together with a Thai Town, a Historic Filipinotown, a Little Ethiopia and a second Saigon Town. Other cities are following. Last week San Jose, in northern California, was considering a Vietnamese business district."
"Local officials have long seen such places as a cheap way of luring tourists. More recently, many have been influenced by Richard Florida, a sociologist who argues that young, educated workers are attracted to tolerant melting-pots."
FULL STORY: Ghetto fabulous

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie