Community / Economic Development
A Community Planning Process—Even a Good One—Is Not Enough
Simply inviting residents to participate in design charrettes or a community planning process does not mitigate the significant loss they feel as they witness the physical destruction of their homes and lived history.
Preserving the Character of Little Tokyo
In the wake of rapid gentrification, an organization in Los Angeles is leveraging the arts to celebrate a community's rich heritage and keep social equity a priority.
The Milwaukee Bucks Enter the Placemaking Business
Following the lead set by other franchises, professional sports teams are becoming real estate developers seeking to create vibrant places that attract commerce on non-game days.
Get Ready for a Wave of Federal Land Transfers in Western States
It's the antithesis of what former President Obama and his predecessors did when they gave federal lands and waters more protection. But don't blame Trump's executive actions for this one (not yet, anyway), as it's being proposed by Congress.
Hundreds of Stores to Close After Another Weak Holiday Season for Chain Retailers
Sears, Macy's, and The Limited are among chain apparel stores closing locations all around the United States.
Chicago Could Lose the Blues
An editorial in Crain's suggests that by not taking full advantage of its history with the Blues, Chicago is wasting a precious cultural resource and missing an opportunity for tourism dollars.
Proposed Law Would Curb Late-Night Partying in New Orleans
A string of shootings on Bourbon Street in New Orleans have inspired the mayor to propose a package of new security measures. One of the proposals would cut back the city's all-night revelry.
Trump Reverses Obama's Rejections of Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines
Fulfilling two campaign promises, President Trump conditionally approved two controversial pipelines to transport oil sands from Alberta and Bakken oil from North Dakota, certain to stir opposition from environmentalists and Native Americans.
Republican Bills Would Gut HUD's 'Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing' Rule
Republican-sponsored congressional legislation would rescind a landmark achievement of the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama Administration.
To Meet Climate Change Goals, San Francisco Tries Networking
San Francisco's Business Council on Climate Change serves as a 'convener' between municipal government and the private sector to tackle issues related to climate change. Writer Andrew Wade spoke with the Council's executive director, Michael Parks.
Urban Cycling Revolution Under Threat by 'Shights' Epidemic (Satire)
Researchers have detected a disease threatening cycling infrastructure investment. Although city administrators continue to invest in living streets, until cyclists becomes self-aware, the automobile will continue to dominate cities.
China Cancels 103 Coal Power Plants; Still Has Too Much Coal Capacity
The cuts mean that China is on target to meet its coal power generation limit for year 2020. But even with the cancellations, China will have surplus coal power resulting in underutilization of renewable power due to preference for coal by utilities.
The External Costs of Vacant Homes
It might seem obvious that vacant homes attract crime and other noxious elements to surrounding properties, but researchers are still working to quantify those external costs.
The Boxyard Igniting Retail Push In Downtown Tulsa
Innovative retail center constructed from repurposed shipping containers activates an empty lot, looks to spark a retail revival in downtown Tulsa.
Sunbelt Blues: Overlapping Poverty and Inequality
Poverty and inequality are bad things, but what happens when they coincide? A new study points to a startling increase in the number of U.S. counties suffering from both problems.
Op-Ed: On the Pitfalls of Federal Spending
Charles Marohn of Strong Towns makes the case that whoever's in the White House, simply increasing federal spending on infrastructure isn't the wisest move.
Healthcare Provider Gives $2.27 Million to Help House Homeless in Portland
Kaiser Permanente Northwest has taken action in the fight against homelessness—acknowledging that adequate healthcare is impossible for people living on the streets.
How Chicago Got its Cultural Center
The history of the Chicago Cultural Center, "the nation's first and most comprehensive free municipal cultural venue," offers insight into the shifting relationships between culture, politics, and money in the third-largest city in the United States.
Clicks or Bricks: Two Ways Indoor Malls Remain Relevant as 'Public' Space
In his continuing look at places people can exercise - other than the gym - LA park planner Clement Lau writes about the popularity of indoor malls in winter climes for exercising adults and children.
Better Block Project Celebrates Diversity in Akron
The Exchange House will open in February, offering a hostel and much more for the immigrant communities of Akron's North Hill neighborhood.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
