Community / Economic Development

One World Trade Center

How Should Lower Manhattan Handle Its Crowd Problem?

In the period since 9/11, Lower Manhattan has undergone a residential boom. With daytime professionals and tourists also in the mix, the strain is showing.

December 12, 2016 - The New York Times

Trump, Carson, and 'Inner Cities'

Both during the campaign and his victory speech, President-elect Trump referenced the troubled conditions of 'inner cities.' A Tufts professor offers advice for the new administration if it really wants to help.

December 11, 2016 - Cleveland Plain-Dealer

Vancouver Skyline

As Goes Vancouver, So Goes Seattle?

What does Vancouver’s housing market implosion mean for the Seattle area?

December 10, 2016 - Crosscut

facebook

Facebook to Donate $20 Million for Housing and Jobs in its Own Backyard

Facebook has decided that being a good neighbor means donating funding toward affordable housing.

December 10, 2016 - The Wall Street Journal

Gentrification Mural

Friday Funny: The Best of the Best Gentrification Parodies

Sometimes you have to stop and laugh about the big problem with no immediate nor obvious solution. You might even learn something while doing it.

December 9, 2016 - The Guardian

Bay Bridge

More Evidence that Bay Area Housing Prices Are Hurting the Economy

Beacon Economics projects a slowdown in job growth in the San Francisco Bay Area due to the region's high housing costs.

December 9, 2016 - San Francisco Business Times

Construction

Brazil's Embattled Development Bank

Less than half of the $7 billion that Brazil's development bank committed since 2009 has been disbursed. As it withdraws from foreign projects, BNDES is beset by scandal.

December 9, 2016 - Bloomberg

Long Beach

Inside the P3 that's Reinventing Long Beach

Several years ago, officials in Long Beach, California, found themselves in a pickle. They had an aging city hall in need of seismic retrofits (price tag: $194 million). Fast-forward to last July, when ground was broken on a $520 million project.

December 9, 2016 - Doggerel

Achieving Community: Let's Get Real

The benefits of authentic community are extensive. Maybe even transcendent. But how do we get to that point? Scott Doyon's latest blog has a few thoughts.

December 8, 2016 - PlaceShakers

No Luxury Condos

San Francisco Rejects Environmental Review for Lack of Gentrification Analysis

In what could be a first, but potential not a last, the power of the California Environmental Quality Act was invoked in San Francisco with regard to concerns about gentrification.

December 7, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

Lost Our Home

Surveying the World's Laws for Begging

Beggars can be found in cities around the world, but the laws and philosophies that cities use to deal with these people are different.

December 7, 2016 - The Guardian

Jane Jacobs

100 Years After Her Birth, Jane Jacobs Might Not Recognize New York

Sam Hall Kaplan reviews "Eyes on Street: The Life of Jane Jacobs" and offers insight gained from personal experience with the "Saint of City Planning."

December 7, 2016 - Sam Hall Kaplan

Chariot Commuter Shuttle in San Francisco Expands 50 Percent After Ford Acquisition

Chariot shuttle service, recently acquired by Ford Motor Company, may soon be a more formidable competitor for San Francisco's public transit provider, Muni, due to an expansion to 150 vans. Expect new routes, five-minute headways, and $4 rides.

December 6, 2016 - San Francisco Chronicle

What Mobility Leaders Think About Car Connectivity

As autonomous vehicles prepare to disrupt transportation systems, Ford Motors President & CEO Mark Fields, L.A Chief Sustainability Officer Matt Petersen, and rideshare company Chariot co-founder Ali Vahabzadeh opine on tomorrow's mobility ecosystem.

December 6, 2016 - The Planning Report

Gas Drill

After the Boom (and the Bust) in Marcellus Shale Country

Tioga County, Pennsylvania provides lessons of a post-oil-boom economy.

December 5, 2016 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Powersource

Columbus

A Showdown Looms as Developers Seek New Building Heights in Columbus

The region surrounding Columbus, Ohio could add a projected one million people by 2050, and developers are looking for new ways to meet growing demand for urban living.

December 5, 2016 - The Columbus Dispatch

A city council meeting.

Why Bother with Community Engagement?

What is the highest purpose of community engagement? Why do some planners go all out to hear from the public? This article dives into these questions based on nine interviews conducted at APA 2016.

December 4, 2016 - Dave Biggs

East Berlin

What Happened When Berlin Tried Rent Control?

Enacted in 2015, Berlin's "Mietpreisbremse" ordinance limits rent increases on some (but not all) apartments. According to this study, results have not been ideal.

December 3, 2016 - City Observatory

Planners Experiment with Unmanned Aerial Systems to Improve Maine Towns

Maine planners are finding new ways to use aerial photos and drone technology to improve transportation and environmental planning.

December 3, 2016 - Maine Association of Planners

Oil Pipeline

Prime Minister Trudeau Approves Huge Expansion of Oil Sands Pipeline

The young prime minister's approval to almost triple the capacity of the Kinder Morgan pipeline comes as a surprise given Trudeau's concern for climate change. He approved another Alberta oil sands pipeline but rejected a third.

December 2, 2016 - The New York Times

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.

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

Senior Planner

Eagle County Government

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.