Economic Growth

Vacant storefront on a New York City street with For Lease sign

Pandemic-Era Economic Growth in Metropolitan Areas

The world has gone through three turbulent years of Covid-19. The Brookings Institution continues its analysis of inclusive economic growth in 192 metropolitan areas in the U.S. during this period with the publication of Metro Monitor 2023.

March 14, 2023 - Brookings

Congestion versus mobility

How Planning Fails to Solve Congestion

Solutions for congestion are never as simple and easy as armchair planners and engineers would like you to believe—especially those who suggest that congestion can be solved by forever building more roadway capacity.

April 20, 2022 - James Brasuell

Congestion

Planning and the Complicated Causes and Effects of Congestion

What do planners know about congestion, and what can they do about it? Explanations and solutions are less obvious than they seem (part one of a three-part series).

April 13, 2022 - James Brasuell

Hot air balloons rise over Downtown Boise with the State Capitol building visible amidst the high rises.

The 'Mountain Lion' Cities Rising in the U.S. West

An economist identifies the growth in nine U.S. cities—scattered from Utah to Texas, Arizona, Washington, and Idaho—as similar to the economic power generated in parts of Asia.

August 31, 2021 - Full Stack Economics

Chicago, Illinois

A Pro-Development Approach to Housing Affordability and Economic Growth

Decades of building housing on the fringes of metropolitan areas have mired the United States in a housing affordability crisis defined by a widening gap between the haves and the have nots.

October 6, 2020 - Vox

I-45 and I-69

Sun Belt Cities Are Facing Many Changes and Challenges

Cities across this swath of the country have rapidly growing populations and economies. At the same time, Sun Belt cities are contending with a common host of urban issues that should not be overlooked.

August 25, 2020 - Urban Edge

Houston, Texas

Texas Losing its Housing Affordability Advantage

Trends pre-dating Covid-19 showed housing affordability slipping away from many residents in Texas. The pandemic will likely only exacerbate the trend, according to this analysis.

April 15, 2020 - Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research: The Urban Edge

Manhattan

Metro Monitor 2020 Report Identifies Uneven Growth Around the United States

A record period of U.S. economic prosperity has reshaped the economy of the U.S., in particularly obvious patterns at the metropolitan level. A new Brookings report details the way metro areas have changed.

March 8, 2020 - Brookings

Charlotte, NC

Understanding North Carolina's Urban-Rural Divide

North Carolina cities are thriving, but rural counties are not experiencing the same level of growth. Still, residents in rural areas say the numbers do not necessarily capture the whole picture.

January 6, 2020 - The Courier-Tribune

Conservation Subdivision

Rural America's Sluggish Recovery

A new report the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service details the ways in which rural America has lagged behind metropolitan areas since the Great Recession.

December 2, 2019 - AgriNews

Tennessee

As More 'Superstar' Cities Emerge, the Gap With Other Cities Grows

Some cities, like Nashville, have been keeping pace with the economic growth of more internationally renowned cities like San Francisco and Seattle.

July 22, 2019 - Reuters

North Dakota

What's Driving the Fastest Growing Land Values in the Upper Midwest?

Fargo-Moorhead, the metropolitan statistical area straddling North Dakota and Minnesota, has seen the quickest growth in land value in the Upper Midwest for the span of years between 2012 and 2017.

July 11, 2019 - MinnPost

High Line park NYC - Manhattan - New York City

Study: How Beauty Is a Boon for Cities

Richard Florida discusses a study finding a range of connections between a city or neighborhood's aesthetic appeal and its economic health.

May 22, 2019 - CityLab

Main Street

Small Towns Prioritize Main Street for Economic and Population Growth

Downtown revitalization can be a small town planning priority too.

May 7, 2019 - Next City

Dallas, Texas

Op-Ed Exposes The Land Use Connections to Congestion in North Texas

The rapid economic growth of North Texas might not translate to economic mobility for many residents if the region can't better connect land use and transportation planning, according to this opinion piece.

May 7, 2019 - The Dallas Morning News

Rural Community

Small Towns in the Western U.S. Achieving Population and Economic Growth

A small town success story in Montana is indicative of a larger trend in the Western United States. Meanwhile, small towns in the rest of the country struggle.

April 6, 2019 - The Washington Post

New York City

Study: Density Can Impede Growth

Size and growth go hand in hand, until they don't, according to a new analysis. Density might be the reason that synergy eventually shortcircuits.

March 18, 2019 - CityLab

Los Angeles River

Concrete’s Contribution to the Rise and Decline of Civilization

As the world becomes more encased in concrete, the detrimental effects of its widespread use are increasing in scale and severity.

March 17, 2019 - The Guardian

Freeways

Report: Transportation Emissions Sully California's Environmental Reputation

There's good and bad news from an annual assessment on the Golden State's economy and environment. Gross domestic product per capita increases as emissions per capita decrease, with the major exception of emissions from transportation.

September 6, 2018 - Bloomberg

Shanghai Shopping

China Population: From Explosion to Implosion

China's one-child policy, which compelled couples to seek abortions or undergo sterilization procedures, ended in October 2015. Yet the country's birth rate hasn't increased, and Communist Party officials are concerned about economic growth.

August 21, 2018 - The New York Times

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.