Community / Economic Development

Sandy Apgar and Tony Canzoneri aim to clear up myths and misconceptions about PPPs (P3s), "the vehicle of choice to plan and execute many development projects that neither private nor public sector participants could perform on their own."

July 30, 2012 - Urban Land

For a city of its size, London and its skyline are notoriously flat. Now, as the city struggles to expand its housing stock to meet the needs of it surging population, increasingly taller solutions are being prescribed, concerning some.

July 29, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

After decades of planning and development of its urban rail networks, will the American West change its image from car cornucopia to transit paradise?

July 29, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Cleveland's bus rapid transit system, called the HealthLine, only opened in 2008, but it has already shown signs of "stimulating economic growth significantly" along Euclid Avenue.

July 27, 2012 - Urban Land

Ed Walker saw what few others in his hometown of Roanoke, Virgina were able to see: potential. Walker is part a growing group of "vanguard developers" intent on changing the fortunes of their cities by the sheer force of their vision (and wallets).

July 27, 2012 - The New York Times

As the 2012 Summer Olympics begin in earnest today with the first Women's Soccer games, Andrew Zimbalist offers 3 reasons why "hosting the Olympics is a losers game."

July 25, 2012 - The Atlantic

You read that right...$7 billion. In a plan to be unveiled today, Amtrak is proposing to transform the second-busiest Amtrak station in the country into a hub for high-speed rail and redevelopment, report Jonathan O'Connell and Ashley Halsey III.

July 25, 2012 - The Washington Post

Winnie Hu reports on how the reopening of the 65th Street Rail Yard in Brooklyn last week is part of a wider, regional rail expansion effort that aims to revive the moribund industry in order to boost economic and environmental benefits.

July 25, 2012 - The New York Times

Even though crime has gone down in the U.S., parents are less likely to let their children walk alone, even to school. Will Doig discusses the argument that "free-roaming" children are a benefit to themselves and the larger community.

July 25, 2012 - Salon

Whenever a term is overused, it's up for snark attack. Ben Brown seeks to inoculate himself and others against that tendency, by describing why community health is an admirable goal and how it's connected to economic development (and beer).

July 25, 2012 - PlaceShakers

A target of 1950s urban renewal, New Haven is looking to rewrite renewal's wrongs by re-connecting the Hill neighborhood with downtown via a highway cap project. Critics complain the project doesn't go far enough to heal the area's historic wounds.

July 24, 2012 - The New York Times

Declining state aid, hobbled endowments, and rising debt are hurting the balance sheets of colleges across America. Unfortunately the economies of their surrounding towns, which rely on schools for jobs, customers, and more, are far from immune.

July 24, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Gone are the days of drab cinderblock housing for America's military families. Taking advantage of an initiative passed by Congress in 1996, today's privatized military housing developments are larger and packed with modern amenities.

July 22, 2012 - The New York Times

After the bust of the housing market in 2008, a striking reversal of settlement patterns in New Jersey gives cities the lead in population growth over once-booming suburbs and exurbs.

July 22, 2012 - New Jersey Future

Following precedents from other cities, San Francisco is looking to redesign its famous Market Street by removing automobiles, creating raised bike lanes, implementing faster transit, and making for a more inviting public space.

July 22, 2012 - Streetsblog

A so-called "eco-friendly" apartment complex complete with solar panels that derives more than 90% of its energy needs from coal? China struggles to take sustainable development seriously.

July 21, 2012 - USA Today

A city led effort to revitalize Coney Island's famous boardwalk and amusements, started amid much angst from longtime business owners, has managed to achieve a delicate balance somewhere between Disney and seedy, writes Joseph Berger.

July 20, 2012 - The New York Times

The 10th anniversary and updating of Richard Florida's "Rise of the Creative Class" has brought about a re-evaluation of "creative class" urbanism. Will Doig surveys a series of popular essays that question Florida's highly influential arguments.

July 20, 2012 - Salon

In its attempt to clean up the mess left by the dismantling of the state's redevelopment agencies, the California legislature is holding cities hostage with a 'draconian' penalty for failing to relinquish funds to the state.

July 19, 2012 - California Planning & Development Report

Jefferson Graham describes how an influx of tech start-ups are turning Los Angeles into "Silicon Beach" - the newest hot spot for entrepreneurs with an entertainment, celebrity or mobile edge.

July 19, 2012 - USA Today