Community / Economic Development
What Mayors Talk About When Everyone Is Listening
An annual report analyzing the "State of the City" speeches of 100 mayors finds remarkable consistency in messaging.
Planetizen Week in Review: July 18, 2016
The Planetizen Week in Review is back.
Alleys as a Community Asset
Often overlooked, alleys can be transformed into valuable community spaces
Dallas to Offers a $3 Million Carrot for Grocery Store Development
Hoping to attract investments in grocery stores in the food desert of southern Dallas, the City Council recently approved a $3 million enticement.
Should We Stay or Should We Go? Low-Lying Coastal Towns Debate Choices
Two U.S. coastal communities are debating the merits of staying or leaving due to effects from climate change and rising sea levels
Report Details Georgia's Community Improvement Districts
As more community improvement districts come online in Georgia, some are finding limitations to the reach of the taxes they generate. A new report makes a thorough examination.
The Sharing Economy Comes to Urban Public Schools
How one firm is integrating sharing economy principles to bolster Chicago's public schools.
Seattle Mayor Proposes a More Inclusive Department of Neighborhoods
The leadership at the city of Seattle has noticed that the people representing neighborhoods on the city's district councils don't reflect the population of the city.
Why it Matters When Protesters Shut Down Highways
Emily Badger, writing for The Washington Post's Wonkblog, doesn't let planners off the hook for the racist history of highway planning around the country.
Clearing the Path for Tiny Houses
Clocking in at less than 500 square feet, tiny houses are in greater and greater demand. They've been touted as a means to address affordability, inequality, homelessness, and environmental concerns. But regulatory issues are holding them back.
Bloomington Allows Artisanal Production in Retail Zones
Craft beer aficionados take note. Bloomington, Illinois now allows businesses selling artisanal products to manufacture their goods on-site. The ruling blurs a distinction between industrial and commercial zoning.
Water Draws the Line Between the Haves and Have-Nots in the South Bay Area
Development proposals in one of the least affluent communities in the Silicon Valley have repeatedly been scuttled due to a lack of water. Wealthier communities have more than enough.
Controversial Clean Coal Plant is Subject of Investigative Journalism
Things have gone terribly wrong at Mississippi's Kemper County energy facility, a federally supported, $6.7 billion carbon capture and storage coal power plant that is now two years behind schedule and $4 billion over budget.
A Summary of CNU24 Detroit
Miss the Congress for the New Urbanism in Detroit? Hazel Borys shares some highlights, with help from Twitter urbanists.
How Some Cities Stay Little
Some cities that want to grow are stuck in the small town zone, while others growing cities would prefer to stay small.
$10.6 Million Fine Proves Some Banks Are Still Redlining
A Mississippi-based bank will pay $10.6 million for discriminatory lending practices.
Reexamining the Origins of Zoning
According to Seymour Toll's 1969 book, New York City's 1916 zoning code was less a civic-minded project than an attempt to protect elite retail districts from the riff-raff. The ramifications for American zoning at large are significant.
Counting the Indicators of a Deflating California Real Estate Bubble
Canceled projects, price discounts, and increased incentives to buyers are already showing up in real estate developments in key U.S. regions, writes estate and affordable housing adviser Michael P. Russell. He reviews some key indicators.
Zoning as a Tool of Social and Economic Inequality
The New York Times devotes significant ink to an argument against the use of zoning laws as tools of anti-growth politics.
The Vision for a $120 Billion Public Transportation Revolution in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Metro's new Chief of Planning Therese McMillan joins the agency at a pivotal moment, as county voters will decide in November whether to approve a new, evergreen sales tax to fund future Metro public transportation expansion.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
