Community / Economic Development

How to End Homelessness? Start—and Finish—With Veterans

We are so close to this goal. We should not change our focus before we meet it.

February 18, 2015 - Shelterforce

A sign for pedestrians and cars

Lessons from 'The Human Scale'

How can we redirect our city building into a form that can handle the expected doubling of urban residents over the next 40 years? Great ideas can be found in this collection of soundbites from the film, "The Human Scale."

February 17, 2015 - PlaceShakers

Qualcomm Stadium

Five Reasons for Cities to Punt NFL Teams

While citizens of San Diego, Oakland, and St. Louis argue over whether they can afford to keep their NFL teams, overlooked are the benefits of being rid of them, writes land use attorney and San Diego Chargers fan William Adams.

February 15, 2015 - UrbDeZine

Greenprint 2015/2040 Plan Calls for 500 Miles of Greenways in the Memphis Region

A regional coalition has spent three years planning a network of greenspaces that will span in the Tri-State area surrounding Memphis, Tennessee. The Greenprint 2015/2040 plan was released to the public last week.

February 11, 2015 - Memphis Business Journal

Dublin Skyline

Reading Cities Cover to Cover, and Why

Chuck Wolfe underscores the importance of a holistic view of urban places, referencing themes of common experience, aesthetics, feelings of happiness, safety, or security—a basic narrative of the city that often goes beyond first impressions.

February 11, 2015 - The Huffington Post

FLV California train

Is California's High Speed Rail the Transcontinental Railroad of its Time?

Journalist Kathleen Sharp, whose great-grandfather worked on the transcontinental railroad, draws comparisons between that epic achievement and the construction of California's high speed rail in this New York Times op-ed.

February 10, 2015 - The New York Times - Opinion

Black History Month—a Good Time for Planners to Reflect

Planners have good reason to be thoughtful on the occasion of Black History Month. One blogger offers reflections and insight that should inspire thoughtfulness the rest of the year, too.

February 8, 2015 - Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

New Research Maps Transit Poverty

New research provides sorely needed tools for illustrating the neighborhoods that suffer a lack of transportation options to access jobs and opportunity.

February 7, 2015 - Next City

Sprawl vs. Unions

The three very different stories of the building trades in Atlanta, Denver, and Portland show just how much urban development patterns affect workers.

February 6, 2015 - Shelterforce

Crowd Community Meeting

Get to Know Your Community

Seven incredibly useful market research tools for local governments.

February 5, 2015 - Civicly

Seizing the Moment: Nations Slash Energy Subsidies as Oil Prices Fall

Just as plummeting oil prices have caused state and federal political leaders to consider raising gas taxes, leaders in developing nations, both oil producers and consumers, are considering reductions in national energy subsidies.

February 5, 2015 - The New York Times

A Survey of Recent Research in 'Urban Regeneration'

Journalist's Resource provides a one-stop shop for research on the subject of policies to regenerate urban areas once in decline.

February 4, 2015 - Journalist's Resource

Atlanta Suburb Pitches Gaming Resort for Economic Development

An Atlanta suburb is moving forward with a plan to create a gaming report, unprecedented in the state, to invigorate a languishing part of town.

February 3, 2015 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

St. Petersburg a Top Draw for Millennial Job Seekers

Most of Florida has a reputation as the place northeasterners go to retire. A new study from NerdWallet, however, points out the best places to look in the state if you're young and looking to start a career.

February 2, 2015 - Tampa Bay Times

A Policy Change for Special Needs New Yorkers

The Brooklyn Development Center will close Dec. 31. The closure of the state facility is part of a long term goal of deinstitutionalizing the developmentally disabled and integrating them in the community in group homes.

February 2, 2015 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

Emanuel Campaign Announces Neighborhood-Level Infrastructure Plans

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, busy on the campaign trail for re-election this week, made a big push for infrastructure investments at the neighborhood level.

February 1, 2015 - Rahm for Chicago

High Tech Stores Provide New Leases on Life for High-End Malls

Big-name technology companies with retail stores, like Apple, Microsoft, and Tesla, have enabled many Class A malls to not just stay in business, but thrive. Record sales per square foot are flowing.

January 31, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal

Formalizing Street Vending: A Los Angeles Case Study

The ongoing efforts to reform street vending laws in Los Angeles gained national media attention recently. Can local officials find a way to overcome controversy and complexity to legalize street vending this year?

January 30, 2015 - Salon

On the Professional Benefits of Tactical Urbanism

An installment from Spacing's "Cities for People" series makes the case for tactical urbanism as a supplement to professional practice.

January 29, 2015 - Spacing

Times Square Historic

From Times Square: How Many Pedestrians Is Too Many Pedestrians?

Times Square stakeholders have begun to raise the specter of "too much of a good thing," as the crowds flocking to Times Square threaten to squeeze the life out of the place.

January 29, 2015 - New York Times

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.

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.