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Small Towns
America's Most Appealing Welcome Signs
Mark Byrnes' slideshow introduces the most welcoming welcome signs in North America.
The Atlantic
Best Small Towns in the USA
A week after the Ames straw poll in Iowa brought all the hype to America's heartland, Money magazine announces its annual ranking of the nation's best small cities. The Midwest dominates the Top 100 list, with the Northeast coming in second.
Money
The Small Town Impact of Post Office Closures
The U.S. Postal Services is considering a plan to close more than 3,600 of its 32,000 post offices. This piece from New Urban News looks at the impact of those closures on the small towns likely to be affected.
New Urban News
How a Small Town Absorbs 80,000 Concertgoers
Every summer, tiny Manchester, Tennessee, becomes a metropolis of rockers and concertgoers as the Bonnaroo music festival comes to a nearby farm. This piece from Governing looks at how the town adapts to the surge.
Governing
Dwindling Small Towns Fight Back
Census data shows that Lacrosse, WA (pop. 315) and other small, rural towns are getting smaller. Some blame the Conservation Reserve Program. But Lacrosse and many others aren't going quietly - they're fighting to hang on.
The Spokesman-Review
From Breadbasket to Food Desert
The rural Midwest produces much of our nation's food supply, and yet small towns in the heartland and around America are increasingly and ironically becoming food deserts - places where citizens have little access to fresh, healthy foods.
Grist
Tiny Town Counting On Boom Courtesy of 007
Gensler has revealed the designs for The Museum of Bond Vehicles + Espionage, which will be located in Momence, Illinois. Momence, pop. 3000, is hoping the museum could jump start their economy and put them on the map.
Fast Company
The Resurrection of the Small Movie Theater
Small movie theaters, long thought dead, are having a comeback as vital centers in small towns across the country.
The Infrastructurist
Saving Small-Town Movie Theaters
Small town movie theaters are seeing new interest from community members who are fighting -- and volunteering -- to keep them open.
The New York Times
New York Town Makes English the Law
Jackson, New York and several other small upstate towns have entered the immigration wars by passing a law requiring all official town business to be conducted in English.
New York Times
Small Towns Seek to Buy Back Energy Infrastructure
Small German towns that had sold off their energy utilities to large corporations in the 1990s are trying to buy them back. They want to be back in on the lucrative energy market, but have large and formidable opponents.
Der Spiegel
Small Towns Shoot For 50,000 in This Year's Census
For small towns, the 50,000 population mark is a sought after goal. That amount makes it easier for towns to qualify for certain federal funding, which is why the small town of Salina, Kansas is trying to make sure its residents fill out the Census.
NPR
The Art of Civic Engagement
In Starksboro, Vermont, planners are using storytelling and community art projects to get at the heart of what matters to residents.
Burlington Free Press
Films a Blessing and a Curse for Small New Mexico Towns
Small towns in New Mexico are increasingly being used as film locations. But for some locals, the invasion of Hollywood is not worth the economic benefits.
Los Angeles Times
The Planetizen News Brief - 7/9/09
4:30 minutes (4.19 MB)
Enviros struggle to move past NIMBY tendencies, iPhones begin tracking urban nuisances, and a small town main street succeeds -- all on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing weekly on the nationally-syndicated radio show "Smart City". Read, listen or download.
The Planetizen News Brief - 5/14/09
4:30 minutes (4.13 MB)
Minorities rise in the 'burbs, small cities struggle to retain youth, and a look inside declining Las Vegas, all on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing weekly on the nationally-syndicated radio show "Smart City". Read, listen or download.
Small Towns Work to Keep Young Population
Towns in East Texas have watched their children graduate high school and leave town for generations- in some towns, up to 90% of graduates flee. Job development is key to keeping the kids down on the farm, but older locals balk at growth.
Longview News Journal
Satisfied in the Suburb
According to the Pew Research Center, suburban dwellers are the most content with where they live, despite reports that also find that suburbs are not regarded the most ideal places to live.
Pew Research Center
The Planetizen News Brief - 2/26/09
4:30 minutes (4.17 MB)
China's Olympic building bust, America's struggling small towns, and why those small towns represent the future of the U.S. -- all on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City". Read, listen or download.
Planetizen picks
Contribute
- The Benefits of Creating Hybrid Zoning Codes
- The Appeal of In-Town Big Box
- The Growing Appeal of Drinking From the Toilet
- How and Why Does an Architect Become Famous?
- Could Good Design Have Prevented the Housing Crisis?
- NY Times Defends the Port Authority
- Expanding the Hong Kong Subway, One Blast at a Time
- Can An Electric Bike Replace A Car?
- The Growing Popularity of Women-Only Mass Transit
- Putting the Bloom Back on the Rose Bowl
Information Sources in Planning: Principles -- Michael Dudley
Optimal Transport Policy For An Uncertain Future -- Todd Litman
Faculty Using Web 2.0 to Show Images -- Ann Forsyth
Information Sources in Planning: Introduction -- Michael Dudley
Liveblog: ULI Rose Center Kansas City Study Visit -- Jess Zimbabwe
Volunteerism Plays Critical Role in Reaching World’s Millennium Development Goals
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University
Feb 10, 2012
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