Community / Economic Development

Court Ruling Clears $1.9 Billion in Public Money for Atlanta Mega-Project
A $5 billion redevelopment project in Atlanta, named Centennial Yards, will receive substantial public support.

Chicago Coffee Shops Breaking Social and Economic Ground on the South Side
Cafes on the city's South Side are more than just businesses. They also provide important spaces for community building and economic development in neighborhoods that have been historically overlooked.

Game-Changing, Open-Air 'Lifestyle Center' Turns 20 in Columbus
After 20 years, the Easton Town Center in Northeast Columbus, Ohio draws nearly 30 million visitors a year and sells more than $1 billion in food and merchandise.

Land Grant Universities and the Community
Land grant universities are, by design, tasked with benefitting the communities in which they are located. The recent track record on that mission is mixed, according to a recent book on the subject.

McDonald's: Where the Nation Feels Welcome
McDonald's takes a lot of heat for the quality of the food, but most Americans still associate the fast food giant's restaurants, and others like it, with family, community, and good times.
Rural Nursing Homes Closing at Rapid Rates
Nursing homes are closing in large numbers in rural communities as a result of a confluence of market pressures.

The Problem With All Those 'Livability' Rankings
Why is it that smallish cities in western Europe always score so well? Perhaps the underlying assumptions behind ostensibly data-driven "livability" rankings cater to a certain audience and leave most of us out.

Why Are These Prime Boston Properties Sitting Vacant?
Even though they often occupy valuable real estate, some Boston properties have sat vacant in various states of limbo for years.

Study Measures 150 Miles of Informal Footpaths in Detroit, Explores Their Larger Importance
A new study by researchers at Illinois State University and the University of Michigan measured the informal footpaths—also known as "desire lines"—of Detroit.

More Detail on What Happened to 100 Resilient Cities
The Rockefeller Foundation has cited costs and a new strategic direction to explain why it abruptly cut off the program this year. While the work may live on in some form, the move underscores the risks of relying on private funding.

Kaiser Permanente to Construct Highrise Headquarters in Oakland
Following Salesforce's lead, the healthcare giant will relocate to a high-rise urban headquarters, transitioning out of seven locations it currently occupies in the East Bay.

How Some Cities Are Losing People and Staying Prosperous
Population loss doesn't always equate to economic decline. Richard Florida discusses a study examining American metros that are retaining their economic vitality as they shrink.

Two Chicago Neighborhoods—Same City, But Starkly Different Worlds
A dataset on health measures in U.S. cities shows the difference in life expectancy between two Chicago neighborhoods is 30 years.

Tech Execs Call for More Public Transit Funding in the Boston Region
A Red Line train recently derailed on the T in Boston, providing the latest example of the need for drastic measures to course correct public transit in the region.

Legalize Basketball Hoops
Noise and drug dealers are two reasons to remove city-owned basketball hoops every day. Or you could give the public resources for fun and exercise in place, which is what Toronto decided to do this week.

Paddling the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, 50 Years After in Burned
One of the great environmental success stories in the nation, manifested by the joy of paddling a river.

New Jersey to Price Carbon Emissions from Electricity Generation
When the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection adopted new rules for power plants on June 17, the Garden State becomes the tenth to participate in a cap-and-trade program known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Successful Metropolitan Areas Prioritize Proximity
Brookings buils on the findings of recent research about jobs densification in cities around the country to make a larger point about the benefits of proximity in urban design, as compared to sprawl.

Google Expanding in Austin
Google is positioning itself to take advantage of the local talent residing in and around Austin.
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Planning for Universal Design
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Yukon Government
Caltrans
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Norman, Oklahoma
City of Portland
City of Laramie