Community / Economic Development

Pittsburgh Redevelopment Happening on Riverfront Property

With the economic benefit of redevelopment along Pittsburgh's river well understood, it's time to survey all the new and reused riverfront properties coming online.

January 1, 2016 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Russian River Brewery

Craft Breweries Follow the Demographics

The spread of craft beer manufacturing around the United States has followed demographic patterns, along with friendly regulations.

December 31, 2015 - Quartz

Funding Revitalization in the Post-Redevelopment Era

A Los Angeles City Councilmember discusses his instructive quest to cobble together funding for the revitalization of his district after the termination of community redevelopment agencies.

December 28, 2015 - The Planning Report

Meet the 'One-Man Community Redevelopment Machine'

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette profiles a man in a small town in Pennsylvania that does a pretty good impression of Santa Claus, if you ask us.

December 27, 2015 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Both Sides of the Controversial Renewal of the EB-5 Immigration Program

A regional perspective on the Congressional action to renew the controversial EB-5 program.

December 23, 2015 - KPCC

Downtown Detroit

Detroit First U.S. City Awarded U.N's 'City of Design' Status

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has recognized the singularity of Detroit, dubbing the motor city the country's first "City of Design."

December 23, 2015 - Crain's Detroit Business

Detroit Street Art

Detroit's Getting Better, Say Detroiters

According to a wide-ranging poll conducted by the Detroit Free Press, residents have regained some optimism about their city and its management. Sixty-nine percent said Detroit is headed in the right direction.

December 21, 2015 - Detroit Free Press

Rio De Janeiro's New 'Museum of Tomorrow' Studies Urban Ambitions

The world lacks any significant number of museums focused primarily on the issues of planning. Rio de Janeiro, however, will soon add one to the inventory.

December 20, 2015 - Next City

Civic Engagement

Rating the Effectiveness of Eight Approaches to Civic Engagement

Code for America has released an Engagement Standard that provides concepts for measuring the quality of new engagement platform technology—not a bad tool to have in the perpetual quest to increase the quality of engagement processes.

December 19, 2015 - User Experience Magazine

Shut It and Gut It: Anchorage Takes Hard Look at Transit Center

After 500 hours of analyzing its downtown transit center, Anchorage officials have come to one conclusion: The only way to fix this building is to shut it and gut it. The transit center, over three decades, has become a blight on Downtown.

December 18, 2015 - Alaska Commons

A Conservationist Turns to the City

Journalist Alex Ulam speaks with Sarene Marshall, director of the Urban Land Institute's Center for Sustainability, about the role conservation is playing in fighting climate change and her role at the agency.

December 18, 2015 - Doggerel

New Year 2015

The Most Popular Planetizen Posts of 2015

The results of a year's worth of writing, reading, sharing, and commenting are in. These are the most popular Planetizen posts from the year 2015.

December 18, 2015 - James Brasuell

Planning Programs to Watch in the Federal Omnibus Spending Bill

Congress is on pace to wrap up a major piece of federal legislation before leaving for recess.

December 17, 2015 - APA Policy News

East Portland Mobilizing Against Gentrification

East Portland is home to 25 percent of the city's residents—many of which are low-income or immigrants. The East Portland Action Plan aims to protect the community as a wave of gentrification approaches.

December 17, 2015 - The Oregonian

The 'Both/And' of the Housing Debate

Planners and community development housing activists and professionals need to start thinking about housing policy as "both...and." It is not reasonable to couch housing policy as either unfettered building or only rent.

December 16, 2015 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Order Up: Massachusetts Has a New Food System Plan

With economic, employment, and social benefits, food is much more than what we eat. Now Massachusetts has completed a comprehensive food plan in the hopes of doing better with the systems by which food is manufactured, bought, and consumed.

December 16, 2015 - Metropolitan Area Planning Council

Seattle SUper Bowl Parade 12th Man Flag

Seattle as the 'Next Detroit'

As the automotive industry of Detroit once inherited the wealth and assets of Pittsburgh's steel industry, one writer argues Seattle has now inherited the wealth and assets of the Silicon Valley.

December 15, 2015 - Pacific Standard

Report: 'Pop-Up' Businesses Ring Up $50 Billion in Yearly Revenue

Temporary storefronts—for everything from high fashion to big-box retailers to "foodie"-favored restaurants—are all the rage. A new study quantifies the economic clout of pop-up businesses.

December 14, 2015 - New York Business Journal

Love Sculpture NYC

5 Social Equity Problems Planners Should Help Solve

Urban planners should take a leadership role in placing social equity at the top of planning goals, argues planner, teacher, and affordable housing developer Murtaza Baxamusa. He looks at five socio-economic problems planners should strive to solve.

December 13, 2015 - UrbDeZine

Durham, North Carolina

The Cities Best Positioned for Growth Based on the Right Mix of Jobs

Having the right mix of jobs in a local economy might be a predictor for future growth.

December 13, 2015 - JedKolko.com

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.