Community / Economic Development

White People Don't Recognize Black Middle Class Neighborhoods
According to a series of studies, white people have a blindness for seeing the black middle class in neighborhoods—even if they don't display other forms of racial animus.

Pacific Northwest Gears Up for Another Fossil Fuel Export Fight
Just two years after killing what would be the world's largest methanol plant at the Port of Tacoma, the project has reemerged at the Port of Kalama. According to the EIS for the plant, global CO2 emissions will be reduced, though increased locally.

Watch Saturday Night Live's Hilarious Take on Amazon's HQ2 Decision
Saturday Night Love comes up with a novel hot take on the thinking behind Amazon's decision to split its new second headquarters between New York City and Northern Virginia.

Map Divvying Up Cleveland Resembles Redlining Maps of the Past
Cleveland neighborhoods were coded to help real estate investors, but the result is a map that harks back to old discriminatory housing practices, say critics.
48 Global Cities Work on Regulatory Framework for Digital Platforms
During the Sharing Cities Summit 2018, cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid, Montreal, New York, Paris, São Paulo, Seoul, Singapore, Stockholm, and Vienna agreed on a Declaration of Principles and Commitments of the Sharing Cities.

Arizona Event Venues Don't Seem to Make Fiscal Sense, But City Leaders Say They’re Worth the Losses
Convention and arts centers are costly and lose lots of money, but cities still build and advocate for them.

Friday Funny: The Onion Says the Subway Is Reserved for Amazon Employees Now
A totally fake news story, intended to satirize, not provide any factual information, makes fun of how much New York City's political leadership gave to Amazon to make sure HQ2 would call the Big Apple home.

Details of Philadelphia's $181 Million, Voter Approved Bond
Voters approved a $181 million municipal bond to fund public works investments around the city.

Defining Qualities of Digitally Inclusive Cities
Brookings analyzes the characteristics of the local economy of eight American cities succeeding in bridging the digital divide.

New Virginia Tech 'Innovation Campus' Helped Woo Amazon to Arlington
According to an announcement by Virginia Tech yesterday, their plans to build a $1 billion innovation campus in nearby Alexandria helped win the HQ2 prize for Northern Virginia.

Updated: Complete Coverage of Amazon's HQ2 Decision
The official news of Amazon's choices for its second location broke this morning, but hot takes were streaming in all day.

The Problems With Tax Increment Financing and How to Fix Them
Tax increment financing (TIF) districts are common in municipalities across the country. However, the economic development tool is also poorly understood and often the target of criticism.

Amazon Makes It Official With New York and D.C.; Throws Another Curveball With Nashville
The reported selection of New York and Washington, D.C. as the dual winners of the Amazon HQ2 competition was officially announced this morning. Still, Amazon wasn't done with the surprises.

Tools for Addressing the Suburbanization of Poverty
Suburban poverty is reading, here are a few ways to understand what that means.

Veteran Homelessness on the Rise Again in Expensive Cities
The news about veteran homelessness rising in expensive cities might come as a surprise, after years of reported progress.

Land Bank Trends in 2018
An economic development professional shares three key takeaways from a recent conference focused on land baking practices.

Chicago Parklet Designed to Be Flexible and Cost Effective
A newly installed parklet in Chicago is part of a larger program to engage the city’s public spaces.

Philadelphia Project Seeks Diverse Array of Investors
A development project in Philadelphia is raising funds through a combination of Opportunity Zones benefits, federal tax credits, and crowdfunding.

When Amazon Happens to Good Cities
After the news broke that Amazon was reportedly going to split its HQ2 plans between New York City and Washington, D.C., some cities are left console themselves. A Planetizen opinion piece picks up the pieces.

San Francisco's Voter-Approved Tax to Aid the Homeless Could Face Litigation
In California, 60 percent of a public vote isn't usually enough to approve a new tax.
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Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions