Community / Economic Development

Rich Suburban House

Affluence Still at Home in the Suburbs

Commentators often say an influx of wealth is transforming American cities. But if prosperity is really still suburban, what are the consequences for the environment?

March 19, 2015 - Grist

Survey: Americans Buying In to the 'Golden Age of Local Innovation'

While Congress continues a spectacle of inertia and citizens grapple with a recovery fraught with inequity and conflict, local initiatives are taking control of the future direction of communities around the United States, according to a new survey.

March 18, 2015 - National Journal

Alberta Arts District Mural Portland

A Response to the Loss of Black Communities in Portland

A five-minute video funded by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation tells the story of black communities struggling to preserve their traditions in what's been called the whitest city in the United States.

March 17, 2015 - Oregon Humanities

Global Suburbanisms: Beyond the White Picket Fence

With more people gravitating toward cities than ever before, new urban morphologies are proliferating throughout the world. Arup Connect's Sarah Wesseler talks with Roger Keil of York University about challenges facing global suburban development.

March 16, 2015 - Arup Connect

Implementing Housing Vouchers for Veterans

A look at what HUD-VASH supportive housing vouchers can do, from the perspective of one of the agencies administering them.

March 14, 2015 - Shelterforce

Newark

American Dream for Sale: $1,000 for an Empty Lot in Newark

In a bid for revenue and rejuvenation, Newark is selling vacant lots for $1,000. Buyers promise to build a home and stay for at least five years.

March 14, 2015 - New York Times

Businesses Band Together to Rebrand Their Block

It's just one block, but a block disrupted by changes happening just a quarter-mile away. So these businesses came together to rebrand their street and bring customers back.

March 13, 2015 - Elevation DC

Millennial Advisory Panel Convened for Atlanta's Regional Planning Effort

The Atlanta Regional Commission is engaging Millennials in an ongoing planning effort that will determine the shape of the region through 2040.

March 13, 2015 - Atlanta Regional Commission

Business, Government, and Infrastructure in Brazil

With one of the fastest growing economies in the world, Brazil is at the cusp of major change. Arup's Gustavo Ferreria discusses the role that public-private partnerships are playing in modernizing and expanding the country's infrastructure systems.

March 11, 2015 - Arup Connect

A stream of mobile apps

Why Coding Can Teach Planners How to Be More Creative

I want to learn HTML and CSS, or maybe get a refresher on the current state of web technology—where should I start?

March 10, 2015 - Civicly

Children Playing

A Call for Reimagined Schoolyards

In recent years, tactical urbanism has helped reinvent many streets and sidewalks in center cities, creating new public spaces. But many spaces remain untouched. Anuj Gupta argues that reinvented schoolyards can be the next great public spaces.

March 8, 2015 - Philadelphia Magazine

A Case for Putting Kids First

Instead of "Bikers First!" or "Creative Class First!" James Siegel, president of Kaboom!, proposes an alternative for cities: "Kids First!"

March 6, 2015 - Medium

Where and How 'Agrihoods' Work

A post on the Lexington Streetsweeper blog examines the idea of Farming Community Subdivision, or "agrihood," and the plausibility of such a community being created in Central Kentucky.

March 6, 2015 - The Lexington Streetsweeper

The set of the television show Sesame Street

Nextdoor—the 'Facebook for Neighborhoods—Catching on with Investors and Users

As social media platforms evolve into specific niches, the Nextdoor platform is quickly expanding its online version of neighborhood-level interaction.

March 5, 2015 - New York Times

We're All Complicit in Change—Now What?

Be a citizen, not just a consumer.

March 5, 2015 - PlaceShakers

Dallas Residents Gather for a 'Festival of Ideas'

A huge crowd braved un-Texas-like weather this weekend in Dallas to participate in the "Festival of Ideas." The Dallas Morning News hopes the citizens of Big D will keep up their momentum in working to improve their city.

March 4, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

Denver Union STation TOD

How Form-Based Ideas Could Transform Community Planning

Let's discuss how community planning could be fundamentally reorganized to improve both efficiency and placemaking.

March 2, 2015 - Better Cities & Towns

New Development

ULI Launches Online Housing Resource

The Urban Land Institute just rolled out How Housing Matters, an online portal for news, research, infographics, and multimedia examining how housing affects community health.

March 2, 2015 - Architect Magazine

Teotihuacan

Study: Ancient Cities Grew Much Like Modern Cities

Scientists from the Santa Fe Institute have discovered basic patterns underlying the way cities have always grown. The mechanics of "urban scaling" may have something fundamental to tell us about how large settlements evolve.

March 1, 2015 - Christian Science Monitor

San Diego Gaslamp District

Urban Planners Should Be More Like Party Planners

Urban planners like the nightlife. They like to boogie. But one researcher argues that planners should better understand how to balance the positive and negative effects of a bustling nightlife.

February 27, 2015 - Deutsche Welle

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.