Community / Economic Development
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.
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.
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.
$1.5 Billion in Economic Development Funds Awarded in Upstate New York
The Upstate Revitalization Initiative is also known as the "Upstate Hunger Games." $1.5 billion in available funding is certainly an attention grabber.
Don't Blame Supermarkets for Food Deserts
Quartz makes the point that supermarkets alone won't solve the problem of poor diets among low-income Americans.
Charles Marohn: Not Your Typical Urbanist
From his home in Brainerd, Minnesota (population 13,500), this fiscally conservative engineer leads a growing movement. His slow-and-steady approach to urban development has real bipartisan appeal.
Meals Programs Shifting Focus to Keep Up With Suburban Poverty
A case study of suburban poverty and the programs needed to help residents through tough times.
Water Resilience in Dry Climates
How can cities in dry climates become self-sufficient in terms of water? California based Dry Lands Institute is creating a digital design tool called Hazel that aims to address just that.
More Than Money: Civic Crowdfunding for Participatory Community Development
Crowdfunding platforms have attracted attention for their capacity to bring together likeminded people from far-flung corners of the world. Worth building on, however, is the ability of some platforms to bring together neighborhoods and communities.
Fix Housing Supply, Save the City: Is it Really That Easy?
Planning wonks might have felt all warm inside when they noticed zoning topics wedging their way into broader conversations about community affordability and equity. Bring it on. Finally.
Mr. Kimmelman's Metropolis
The New York Times architecture critic is making good on his promise to focus on the social context and redemptive qualities of urban architecture and design. A recent lecture in Denver identified several imperatives for the planning profession.
A New Guide to Participatory Planning
A new guidebook by the Montréal Urban Ecology Centre can help improve a critical part of the job for all planners.
Germane Barnes' Vision for Opa-Locka
Known for its unique Moorish Revival architecture, and beset by a host of urban problems, the Miami suburb may have found its savior in Germane Barnes. The young architect and planner aims to revitalize the area without gentrifying it.
Using Instagram to Create a Blight Inventory
The Innovation Team in Mobile shows that sometimes innovation can be delivered through commonplace technology.
To Solve Sao Paulo's Water Crisis, Collaboration Is Key
Brazil is rethinking it's approach to water infrastructure. Brazilian think-tank Arq Futuro and Arup's Pablo Lazo give their take on the state of South America's most populous country.
New Ruralism: Sustainability Matters in Rural New England
New Ruralism is about rural communities finding new and sustainable approaches to create economic opportunities, provide livable-wage jobs, improve access to local foods, and offer better aging-in-place options.
Coming Soon to Detroit: An Urban Livestock Ordinance
Planners and citizens in Detroit are wrapping up a year's worth of research and community engagement before drafting an urban livestock ordinance.
Community Land Trusts Laying Down Roots in Baltimore
There are 200 community land trusts in the country, so the idea clearly has traction. With three organizations pursuing new community land trusts, the model might soon have a new test bed in Baltimore as well.
Neighborhood Planning for Investment, Protections from Gentrification
The neighborhood of Homewood in Pittsburgh, PA is poised is poised for new investment but is still far from a gentrification tipping point. A proposed "cluster plan" walks a fine line for the neighborhood's future.
The Social Progress Index and the Long History of Searching for the 'Social'
We would do well to withhold our praise of another seemingly new composite index such as the Social Progress Index.
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
