Who benefits the most from synergistic growth, where the parts of the built environment are brought together to create a strong community and sense of place?
Urbanists are understandably frustrated at the slow pace of progress toward communities of synergy — “organic whole” places that are compact and walkable. In recent decades, demographic trends still favored suburban expansion — and spread-out development was and is supported by deeply rooted laws, institutions, and cultural values.
Now that a long-term pent-up market demand has emerged for urban living in cities and suburbs alike, more fundamental change is possible. Many demographic groups and business sectors benefit from assembling communities in which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
The so-called “creative class” and young adults strongly favor urban places and are sought by business and civic interests in both cities and suburbs.
The share of renters is growing nationwide — the mirror-image of homeownership decline — and this group is gaining respect as perhaps the strongest segment of the US real estate market.
... Businesses that depend on urban places include car-share and bike-share companies, mixed-use builders and developers, the transit industry, urban retailers, firms that need access to the workforce and innovation of cities, businesses that depend on tourism nurtured by character of place, downtown business associations, and financial institutions that invest in transit-oriented places.
FULL STORY: A new coalition for urban place

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.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion
The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

Since Zion's Shuttles Went Electric “The Smog is Gone”
Visitors to Zion National Park can enjoy the canyon via the nation’s first fully electric park shuttle system.

Trump Distributing DOT Safety Funds at 1/10 Rate of Biden
Funds for Safe Streets and other transportation safety and equity programs are being held up by administrative reviews and conflicts with the Trump administration’s priorities.

German Cities Subsidize Taxis for Women Amid Wave of Violence
Free or low-cost taxi rides can help women navigate cities more safely, but critics say the programs don't address the root causes of violence against women.
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.
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