Community / Economic Development

With $768 Million in June, California Continues EV Infrastructure Investment
CPUC Commissioner Carla Peterman explains the state's investment plan for building out electric vehicle charging stations in public spaces and homes.

What Do Affordable Housing Developers Think of California's Potential Rent Control Initiative?
A California November 2018 ballot initiative seeking to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act could have unintended consequences, according to Related California's Bill Witte.

A Departing Blow to Clean Air on Pruitt's Final Day
Friday may have been disgraced EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's last day in office of the agency in charge of protecting the nation's environment, but he still managed to roll back a regulation to create lasting air pollution far greater than VW did.

SF Chronicle Editorial Board: Build More Homes to Help the Homeless
And stop changing the subject, adds the Editorial Board of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Tech Companies Pulled $9.3 Billion in State and Local Subsidies in Five Years
Good Jobs First put a price tag on the lucrative deals local and state officials throw at flashy tech companies. It's a trend that is only growing with deals like Foxconn in Wisconsin and the expected Amazon HQ2 announcement.

L.A. Wants to Be the Epicenter of New Transportation Technology
Gabe Klein of CityFi outlines how Los Angeles is planning on implementing the Urban Mobility in a Digital Age report.

Eyes from the Street – A Finer Filter
Evidence described here suggests that urban design for "eyes on the street" is not enough to lower crime.

The 'Find It, Fix It' App Increasingly Used to Roust the Homeless
Seattle's Find It, Fix It app plays a telling role in the city's approach to its homeless population. The question is whether the app is fixing anything for the people living on the street.

Google Tax to Appear on November Ballot in Mountain View, California
If a majority of the city's voters approve the city-sponsored ballot measure, business license fees will change from a flat $30 annual fee to a new tax based on the number of employees, with the largest employer, Google, to pay $3.3 million.

One in Two Arrests in Portland Are of Homeless People
Three in 100 people in Portland are homeless.

Mourning the Loss of the Dairy Queen in Rural Texas
As populations shrink, small towns are losing an important place to get together,,
Regrets of an Accidental Placemaker
My pitches for space usually centered around the developer’s needs and not the needs of the neighborhood or its residents. I didn’t pay much attention to what impact those events would have on the surrounding neighborhoods.

To Make the Most of Transit Oriented Development, Include Affordable Housing
Low-income residents are more likely to use transit, and transit needs riders. The relationship seems ripe for mutual benefit.

Massive Waterfront Investment 'Reinvents' Tampa
After decades of planning, the city hopes several huge developments will draw millenials and empty-nesters.

When Pennsylvania's 'Right to Farm' Means Living With the Pigs Next Door
New residents to formerly agricultural area are trying to shut down a hog-feeding operation, but so far without much success.

When Gentrification Follows Transit Oriented Development
From an environmental perspective, transit oriented development is hard to argue. From a socio-economic perspective, transit oriented development must make room for all income levels, according to this opinion piece posted on the NRDC website.

Did the Supreme Court End the 'Retail Apocalypse'?
The decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair certainly didn't hurt traditional retailers, but they're still going to have to help themselves in the face of competition from online retail.

Most Rural Counties Losing Population
Experts expect the 2020 Census to reveal some potentially startling trends of population decline in rural parts of the country.

The 'Shale Crescent,' Also Dubbed the 'Plastic Belt,' Removes the Rust
The region spanning Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania is claiming a new name.
$29 Million in Series C Funding for an Urban Agricultural Company
Looking for signs of the growth of urban agricultural as a viable industry?
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