Community / Economic Development

Learning to 'Place-Decode' the Elements of Urbanism

Chuck Wolfe champions the role of France's attachment to place as a laboratory for decoding the essential elements of urbanism.

September 5, 2014 - The Huffington Post

Safe Routes to School

Green Health Tools for 'Back to School'

Nisha Botchwey and Kirsten Cook detail the articles available on the subject of green health and schools in the Summer 2014 issue of the Journal of Planning Education. (Articles mentioned in this post have Open Access through September.)

September 5, 2014 - JPER

Breaking News: $5 Billion Tesla Battery 'Gigafactory' Headed to Nevada

With competition from California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, Elon Musk, the CEO of Bay Area-based Tesla Motors, chose the Silver State to build his much sought after $5 billion battery "giga factory."

September 4, 2014 - Wall Street Journal

Qualitative Study of Gentrification in Fort Collins, Colorado Neighborhood

Stanford researcher Clayton Hurd is studying the Tres Colonias, an overarching name for three neighborhoods in Fort Collins, Colorado, with dwindling numbers of Hispanic homeowners facing mounting gentrification pressures.

September 4, 2014 - The Coloradoan

A Massive List of Tools for Digital Public Engagement

Here are 50 tools for online engagement. These digital platforms can help local government consult, collaborate with, and empower citizens in planning decisions.

September 4, 2014 - CommunityMatters

Euro-Envy Reconsidered: Talkin' Time, Distance, and Change

Most North American urbanists turn to Europe for inspiration and direction. Some of that brilliance, Ben Brown reminds us, is due to time and distance.

September 3, 2014 - PlaceShakers

Dire Economic Fallout Expected from Atlantic City Casino Closures

Casinos in Atlantic City are closing quickly, costing the local economy 5,700 jobs and leaving the city with four large, empty buildings of a variety that offers little or no precedent for reuse.

September 2, 2014 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Children Playing

How Families Can Benefit the Planning and Design of Cities

An August 19 article in the Washington Post took a tough stance on the value of families to urban settings. Here Bradley Calvert responds by describing how families provide opportunities for planners to rethink cities for the better.

September 2, 2014 - Bradley Calvert

Rainbow Crosswalk

The Future of the Gayborhood

With the advancement of LGBT rights and equality, the traditionally LGBT neighborhood is changing to reflect the tastes and preferences of the new LGBT community within.

September 2, 2014 - Reuben Duarte

Placemaking in Communities of All Sizes

A new article from Smart Growth America portrays the successes of placemaking in communities as diverse as Soldotna, Alaska (population 4,163), Orlando, and Philadelphia.

August 25, 2014 - Smart Growth America

Alaska Voters Reject Higher Taxes on Oil Companies

Alaskans agreed, but not by much, with Gov. Sean Parnell and not former Gov. Sarah Palin that oil companies needed to pay less taxes if they are to boost oil production. Voters rejected a tax referendum that was on Tuesday's ballot to repeal SB 21.

August 25, 2014 - FOX News

Denver's Social Media Campaign to Celebrate the City

The Denver Community Planning and Development department unrolled a new social media campaign this week utilizing #favoriteplacedenver to celebrate the city's unique characteristics.

August 23, 2014 - The Denver Post

Planned Epicurean District in Paris Raises the Specter of Gentrification

A new corridor planned as a haven for local gourmet food in the quiet Haut Marais neighborhood of Paris concerns residents with the threat of gentrification.

August 23, 2014 - New York Times

Los Angeles is the Least Affordable Rental Market in the Country

A new study confirmed that the average Los Angeles renter allocates 47 percent of their paycheck towards rent.

August 22, 2014 - KPCC

Interpreting the 'Timeless and Time-Bound' in Cities

In his latest essay on interpretation of the urban environment, Chuck Wolfe suggests that if we take away context clues cities become matrices -- with blank cells to complete -- where each of us personalizes how space meets time.

August 21, 2014 - The Huffington Post

Social Mobility in America: Reality or Dream?

Richard Reeves explains the factors that limit or assist social mobility for people born into the lowest economic quintile in American society.

August 21, 2014 - Brookings Institution

Home For Sale Signs

White Flight Patterns Continue Within the Suburbs

According to a recent study, white flight proliferates even in the suburbs, as suburbs attract large numbers of middle-class minority residents and white residents flee so-called 'ethnoburbs'.

August 21, 2014 - Science Daily

Bloomberg Offers $1 Million Annually for 'Innovation Delivery Teams'

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg began a new program via Bloomberg Philanthropies to invest $45 million for shaking up city halls.

August 21, 2014 - Next City

Nine Women Leading the Public Interest Design Field

Rennie Jones of Architizer highlights nine women pioneering a variety of successful and poignant public interest design projects around the world.

August 21, 2014 - Architizer

Hells Kitchen Sidewalk New York City

Jane Jacobs' Sidewalk Ballet, Gone Forever in New York City?

Alex Marshall discusses whether Jane Jacobs' famous "Sidewalk Ballet" is dead on the streets of New York City.

August 20, 2014 - Governing

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.