Community / Economic Development

The Other Side of Anxiety? Realism. And Maybe Hope.
Ben Brown tells us to stop narrowly defining problems.

How L.A.'s Nighttime Park Programming Lowered Crime and Costs
Los Angeles County's Parks after Dark (PAD) program and the city of Los Angeles' Summer Night Lights (SNL) program are proving to save lives, lower crime, and reduce costs, writes L.A. County parks planner Clement Lau.

How State Governments Can Support Urban Revitalization
States have tremendous power to constrict or enable policy at the local level. A new report offer guidance in getting states and localities on the same page for the sake of urban revitalization.

New York Lawmaker Would End New Marketing Nicknames for Neighborhoods
There will be no SoHa (South Harlem), if the state approves new legislation that allows the city to block real estate brokers from assigning new shorthand to neighborhoods in the hopes of boosting real estate listings.

Awarding the Best Ideas for Successful Cities
The Knight Foundation asked: "What’s your best idea to make cities more successful?" When it came time to pick the best ideas, design and planning ideas for places like Wichita, Biloxi, and Akron emerged.

New Web Based Tool Helps to 'Design Your Town'
A new tool produced by the Regional Plan Association, the Orange County Department of Planning, the Pace University Land Use Law Center, and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy offers a starting point for people with big ideas.

Gay Neighborhoods Are Getting More and More Expensive
Trulia has created a "Neighborhood Pride Score" to determine the communities with the largest gay populations. Access to those neighborhoods comes at a high price.
The Silent Expansion of Fiscal Control Boards in the U.S.
The power and process of boards that take control of a city or territory's finances is becoming more generalized, although they affect local democracy, impose austerity measures without controls, and lack mechanisms to evaluate their efficiency.

California Progress Report: GDP Increases While GHGs Fall
California is demonstrating that improving the economy and the environment go hand in hand. A new inventory report from the state's Air Resources Board notes changes in gross domestic product, population, and greenhouse gas emissions since 2000.

A New Government Planned Mega-City Shapes Up Next to Beijing
Planners for the Xiong’an New Area hope to cure the ills of "megacity disease"

Top 5 Retail Shopping Center Trends
As the face of retail continues to evolve, tremendous opportunity exists for out-of-the-box concepts and creative retail strategies.

Report Ranks the World's Leading Cities: Now and in the Future
New York is the most important city in the world, but San Francisco is best positioned for the future, according to AT Kearney's "Global Cities" report.

How Planning Can Help Dogs and Humans Co-Exist
Not everyone is sold on the idea of dogs as "man's best friend," and not everyone is comfortable navigating a public realm where dogs are crowdsourcing their marks. What are planners to do?

USDA Shake-Up, Trump Budget Could Be the Demise of the Office of Rural Development
A shake-up at the U.S. Department of Agriculture will likely impact the delivery of support and programs from the federal government to rural communities.

Artists and Property Owners Sue Atlanta Over Mural Regulations
A federal lawsuit alleges that the city of Atlanta is overstepping its bounds by threatening the removal of murals and other art located on private property.

A Solution for Massive Federal Funding Cuts: Think Hyper-Local
As concern grows over the potential loss of community development and planning funds at the federal level, Indigo Bishop writes to remind us that communities have the networks and resources to make it through periods of scarcity.

Only High Cost Premiums Can Make Urban Farming Pencil Out
Throwing cold water on the latest "techno-optimism" for indoor, urban agriculture.

Beuvron-en-Auge: 15th Century Town Planning Stands the Test of Time
Another reason European placemaking has North American applications: it wasn't always perfect. Hazel Borys looks to simple town planning lessons from a village in Normandy.

Seattle and Silicon Valley: Joined at the Hip?
Tech thrives on connection, and America's west coast tech hubs are more connected than ever before. But Seattleites aren't in a rush to abandon their city's distinctiveness.

Downtowns Still Need Parking
Downtown businesses still need a diverse supply of high-turnover parking spaces, argues former downtown San Diego shopkeep, planning activist, and parking guru, Bill Keller.
Pagination
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie