Community / Economic Development
Should Architects Be Citizen Scientists?
Can self-contained urban food systems exist in the core of our cities? Architect Darrick Borowski of New York based firm ARExA developed a model to determine just that.
Baltimore's Big Idea: Schools as the Center of Neighborhood Transformation
The city of Baltimore is taking a new approach to an old idea: that schools should be the center of neighborhoods.
Traffic Deaths Soar—Is Cheap Gas a Culprit?
An August 17 press release from the National Safety Council indicates the United States is on track to exceed 40,000 road deaths this year, the highest since 2007. A January NPR report links the spike to decreased gas prices.
Stress Test: On the Connection Between Gentrification and Helicopter Parenting
A subject sure to hit close home to many readers: the relationship between the modern concerns of parenting and expense urban living. In other words: how gentrification leads to helicopter parenting.
Escaping the Cycle of Inflated Housing Costs
In an insightful article, William Fulton unpacks the supply-demand cycle driving costs skyward in certain areas. To address the problem, new construction needs an unprecedented level of diversity.
Support for Rail Heats Up in Phoenix
A seven-year-old light rail line has beaten ridership projections and transformed neighborhoods in Phoenix. Now, one of the nation's most sprawling cities considers where to expand the system—and how to pay for it.
Survey of 251 U.S. Mayors Reveals 'Unequal Recovery'
A report from the National League of Cities mines the political leadership of 251 cities for insights into the state of local economies.
Closed Ontario Schools May Be Transformed Into Community Hubs
Schools are part of, and even anchor communities. Good planning requires schools as part of "Complete Communities". Until this proposal is adopted, school boards often close schools due to funding or liability. This is a possible step forward.
Litigation of Boise Anti-Camping Ordinance Could Have National Implications
A lawsuit in Boise could decide the future of one policy response to homelessness—making it illegal to sleep in public.
Seattle's 'Oh So Human' Hesitations About Change
Seattle's recent Housing and Livability Agenda (HALA) recommendations have created a sensational dialogue about zoning, affordability and neighborhood change. Chuck Wolfe explains how this may create an unprecedented basis for consensus in the city.
A Visionary Plan for an Urban Village in Minneapolis-Saint Paul
The Prospect North Partnership intends to build a fully integrated, resource-efficient neighborhood in a prime yet underdeveloped location.
Katrina 'Ten Years After': and the Band Plays On
The 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is upon us. Many of us city planners invested whatever skills we thought we had, plus a heavy dose of passionate naivete, to recovery planning in the wake of the 2005 storm.
Op-Ed: Rideshare Beats Streetcars for Short Trips
Especially for parties with more than one passenger, summoning a car can make more sense, according to a recent op-ed. Transit still wins out for longer trips, but streetcars might just not be worth it downtown.
Promise Zones Partner Up in Los Angeles and Philadelphia
A new phase of President Obama's Promise Zone anti-poverty initiative will take place simultaneously in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. AmeriCorps staff will be on hand to provide career coaching to high school students.
Common Issues Facing Cities—Aggregated from 100 'State of the City' Speeches
Around the country, issues related to the field of planning dominate the public discussion of the "state of the city."
Upper Manhattan's Disappearing Bodegas
Rising rents and competition with chains are taking their toll on Manhattan bodegas, a mainstay for hispanic neighborhoods for their fresh and ethnic foods. As their numbers decline, chain stores increase, and Walk Scores drop.
Calculator Answers the Question: Are You a Gentrifier?
Let the debate ensue about the accuracy (not to mention the appropriateness) of the "Gentrifier Calculator" exercise.
What's the Matter With the Planning Process?
Current planning models places housing affordability and preservation fundamentally at odds with one another. We must be willing to re-evaluate our processes if we are to truly move forward.
Harnessing Social Resilience in the Rust Belt
Paterson, New Jersey's diverse immigrant population holds the potential to revive the city's declining economy. Writer Jeff Byles documents key resources the city has and how similar postindustrial cities have harnessed community-driven planning.
Rethinking Culture and Community in New York City
Caron Atlas has spent decades working to understand and improve the relationship between cities and the arts. As co-director of Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts New York, she advocates for the recognition of artistic activity throughout NYC.
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.
City of Fort Worth
planning NEXT
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
