Community / Economic Development

Occupy Democracy in Parliament Square

A recent protest movement to reuse London’s Parliament Square as a space for political discourse has been met with oppressive policing.

October 29, 2014 - Guardian

U.K. Pins Economic Growth on Metropolitan Areas

A new plan is afoot in Britain that will devolve centralized power away from central government and out into metropolitan areas. Bruce Katz sees lessons for the United States in the experience of United Kingdom.

October 28, 2014 - Brookings

Gentrification

The False Choice in the Gentrification Debate

The income of original residents is more important to the gentrification debate than any opposition to luxury development or price controls. We need to begin to embed income inequality within the gentrification debate.

October 28, 2014 - Reuben Duarte

Recalling Our Basic Pride of Place

In the fifth of his "place-decoding" series from France, Chuck Wolfe recalls how we carry with us the ability to mine pride from place, even in places that are, perhaps, least expected to shine.

October 25, 2014 - The Huffington Post

Massive Detroit Foreclosures Push Out Black Homeowners

A Detroit reborn sounds great, but what if the residents of “blighted” areas don’t want to leave? Many feel they have no choice in a process that has been compared to racial relocation. Meanwhile, activists scramble to give residents options.

October 24, 2014 - The Atlantic

Shanghai Shopping

Study: Urbanization Not a Silver Bullet for Economic Growth

A study comparing urbanization and per capita GDP between 1980 and 2011 questions common assumptions about the connections between economic growth and cities.

October 23, 2014 - PLOS ONE

Los Angeles Embraces Urban Agriculture

A motion passed earlier this month calls for landowners to receive tax breaks for leasing vacant property for agriculture and farming.

October 23, 2014 - The Los Angeles Times

Employment Growth in Large, Dense Cities Paces Recovery

A study from the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis finds evidence that large, dense metropolitan areas have experienced the most complete recovery following the Great Recession.

October 22, 2014 - CityLab

Denver's 'Healthy Corner Store Initiative' Up and Running

Denver joined cities around the country this summer by targeting its corner stores as potential solutions for its food desert challenges.

October 22, 2014 - The Denver Post

Attention C-Suite: Place Matters

Mark Murro urges executives to further explore and understand the concept of "return on ecosystem" achieved by locating in particular, well situated places.

October 21, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Report Collects and Shares Lessons from New York's Land Banks

Practical lessons and best practices will be helpful in empowering land banks to curb the spread of blight, foreclosures, and abandoned properties.

October 21, 2014 - Center for Community Progress

APA Seeking Input for Updated 'Planning for Sustainability Policy Guide'

The American Planning Association (APA) is seeking input for an update of the 2000 Planning for Sustainability Policy Guide.

October 20, 2014 - American Planning Association

Washington D.C. COnstruction

Is Urban Revitalization Possible Without Displacement and Gentrification?

Jared Green asks the billion dollar question for economic developers and planning agencies throughout the United States: is urban revitalization of neighborhoods possible without the subsequent gentrification and displacement of current residents?

October 18, 2014 - ASLA The Dirt

The old and the new

Can Billionaires Revitalize Decayed Downtowns?

Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert has an urbanist streak. And only people with his kind of money can singlehandedly buy out big chunks of downtown Detroit. But will his approach to neighborhood-making actually benefit the city as a whole?

October 17, 2014 - Grist

How D.C.'s 11th Street Bridge Will Transform Infrastructure into Civic Space

Across the US, cities increasingly view waterfronts as opportunities for green space. Once tied to industrial uses, river fronts now offer a chance to repurpose existing infrastructure for public use.

October 17, 2014 - The Planning Report

Another Call for the Legalization of Los Angeles Street Vendors

Mark Vallianatos outlines the legal history and vehemently supports Los Angeles' estimated 10,000 street vendors selling everything from fruits to frozen treats.

October 16, 2014 - The Los Angeles Times

The Middle Class Fights for Survival in Lima, Ohio

An article surveys Lima, Ohio's long-term residents, politicians, and economy to weave a narrative tracing the ups and downs of the shrinking small town.

October 16, 2014 - Rolling Stone

California Cities Still Navigating Redevelopment Dissolution

Two and a half years after California shuttered its redevelopment agencies, cities are still grappling with the repercussions—from resolving the legal obligations of CRAs to searching for alternative methods of revitalizing areas in need.

October 15, 2014 - The Planning Report

A Comprehensive Accounting of Economic and Environmental Performance: Who's in?

For the last several decades, North American cities have used growth as a primary economic engine. Increasingly less dense new growth is subsidized by the more dense core, but requires a growth rate that is not supportable in the long term.

October 15, 2014 - PlaceShakers

Responding to Harsh Critiques of the American South

When the Washington Post used a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to conjure up a headline about the South being the "worst place to live," one southerner critiqued the article's methodology.

October 14, 2014 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

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.