Community / Economic Development
What Happens When Transit Doesn't Bring Expected Development
Just outside of D.C., the Capitol Heights Metro station sits among empty parcels with brown grass and tall weeds, as the economic development that was to accompany the station never materialized. Will a proposed Wall-Mart come to the area's rescue?
Strong Communities Are Founded on Civic Engagement
Kelly Morphy provides tips and strategies on improving civic engagement - the key to healthy communities and desired outcomes.
Suburbs Become the New Cities
Small towns like Carmel, Indiana have gained national prominence after redeveloping into "cities where people can live, work and play," writes Haya El Nassar.
Did Banks Engage in Reverse-Redlining While Inflating the Housing Bubble?
A lawsuit filed this week against Morgan Stanley claims that the predatory lending practices that grew the housing bubble violated federal civil rights laws, an ironic echo of a time when housing policies prevented blacks from obtaining mortgages.
Norwegian Architects Honored for Defying Architectural Norms
Young architectural firm, TYIN Tegnestue, proves that good design can be affordable, and that architecture can be used to help solve some of the world's existing social ills, rather than exacerbating them, writes Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan.
An Informal Model of Waste Management Blossoms in Bangalore
Without the wealth for recycling, Indian cities like Bangalore rely on informal traders to collect and sell recyclable materials. Could this tech hub provide a model of trash disposal for cities in the developing and developed world alike?
Constructing a Homebuilding Revolution - Brick by Brick
Is Clay Chapman the Joel Salatin of homebuilding? At $80/SF for a custom, multi-century, structural masonry and timber frame home, he just might be. Scott Doyon enumerates the similarities, and challenges others to get involved.
Understanding the Importance of Place to the Creative Class
Richard Florida discusses why "quality of place", rather than job opportunity, is the determining factor in where creative-minded people choose to live.
Atlanta's Ambitious BeltLine Takes Shape
Despite recent controversy that claimed the BeltLine Inc’s president, when the 2.25-mile Eastside Trail opens this week, Atlanta's long-awaited Beltline will take its “most significant step forward yet,” reports Bill Torpy.
Cut-Throat Competition to Lure Conventions Pits City Against City
With the convention industry still hobbled by the effects of the recession, and a glut of convention space across America hungering for events, cities are going to extreme lengths to attract the expected injections to their local economies.
The Secret to Savannah's Surging Downtown
Lively walkable streets teeming with tourists bouncing between unique stores make Savannah's downtown the envy of many cities. But this state of affairs hasn't always been the case. Greg Bluestein looks at the secrets to Savannah's success.
The American City Makes a Comeback
Architectural Record explores the rebirth of the American city through the lens of three cities reinventing themselves through public initiatives, architecture, and urban design: Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City.
Fetishizing Urban Decay Becomes Fashionable at NYC’s Newest Attractions
Sarah Goodyear attributes the appeal of NYC's High Line, and the recently opened Barclays Center, to not only smart urban design, but also the nostalgia of urban decay.
Investing in Port Cities Now, Reaping Benefits Later
With the expansion of the Panama Canal expected to be complete in 2015, U.S. Port Cities are uniquely positioned to reap economic benefits of increased industrial activity.
LocalData: An App for Grassroots Planning
A free digital toolkit allowing communities to collect, analyze, and share their own data will be launched nationally at the end of the year.
Aging in 'Connected' Places
Ben Brown argues that design adaptations intended to accommodate America's swelling senior population by "aging in place" will be unable, on their own, to meet the challenge. He looks at one model of support that goes beyond universal design.
Scenes from The World's Factory
A journalist offers a personal account and striking images from Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, China, home to factories that the produce a wide variety of exported goods.
The New Breed of Public-Interest Designers
An emerging field of public interest design embeds architects and designers in communities that wouldn't otherwise be able to afford good design.
Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Move South and Buy LA's Luxury Housing
The Wall Street Journal reports on the growing numbers of technology entrepreneurs who are buying luxury homes in beachfront areas around Los Angeles, earning the stretch from Santa Monica to Playa Vista the name "Silicon Beach".
Urban Agriculture in the Sky: Hong Kong's Farming Boom
In one of the world's most dense cities, urban agriculture finds its place on the rooftops of Hong Kong buildings. Fears of tainted imports is spurring much of the growth.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
