Community / Economic Development
Coney Island Meets the Grid
In order to save Coney Island from dwindling unemployment rates and high poverty levels, developers rezone the 46-year-old amusement park, but the plans may never actually leave the paper.
How City Branding Can Go Wrong
Will Doig considers the growing pressure cities face to build a marketable identity, and why that's a particular challenge for generally livable cities.
A 40-Year Transformation for Detroit's RiverWalk
Since the mid-1970s, Detroit’s riverfront has been transforming from a depressed industrial area into a bustling district for families and businesses.
Friday Funny: Detroit Neighborhoods Perfect Site for 'Zombie Park'
One brazen entrepreneur from Detroit is looking to raise funds to bring his "zombie theme park" concept to life, Sarah Cox reports.
Buffalo Zoning Supports Sprawl
David Steel explains how Buffalo's zoning code not only makes it impossible to build the type of neighborhoods people love, but also guarantees that low density development pays less taxes.
The Rise of the Creative Class, 2012 Edition
Workers making up the 'creative class,' a term first coined by author Richard Florida, continue to grow and prosper, generating trillions in wages. What cities in the U.S. have the largest creative economies?
Oklahoma Tribal Nations Help Fund U.S. Roads
Often downplayed of their role in both planning efforts and in the economy, tribal governments are working collaboratively with other local governments in Oklahoma to help build and maintain roads.
Sisters Spark Tactical Urbanism in Philadelphia
Young activists Emaleigh and Ainé Doley take matters into their own hands to clean up their neighborhood street in run-down Germantown.
Seven Cities That Have Gone Bust (And Lived to Tell the Tale)
Nate Berg takes a look at the seven biggest cities to have filed for bankruptcy in the last two decades, the largest of which officially broke the bank as of yesterday.
Technology Alone Won't Save Our Cities
Brent Toderian, recently the planning director for Vancouver, was interviewed by Denmark's Sustainable Cities about technology and planning. Toderian was contrarian when it came to technology's ability to save the world.
Neighbors, Restaurant Clash over Liquor License in D.C.
Eric Fidler observes how residents of a Washington, D.C. neighborhood fight against the granting of a liquor license to a proposed restaurant, using the emotional health of school children as part of their argument.
A Tale of Two Shopping Centers
As the global recession continues to hit the global economy, shopping centers take on two distinct development patterns in developed and developing nations.
Is Any City Truly Unique?
As new research data on cities pours in daily, interesting patterns emerge regarding income, green space and urban growth. Like people in their genetic make-up, are cities fundamentally all the same?
The Diminishing Meaning of "Urban" and "Suburban"
To some, "the suburbs" mean bland neighborhoods outside of a vibrant city life. But demographic and land-use changes are making Lakis Polycarpou and others rethink the definitions of "urban" and "suburban."
What's the Opposite of Gentrification?
Richey Piiparinen says that in one obvious way, gentrification isn't a problem in the Rust Belt (that being housing prices, which are comfortably low pretty much everywhere). A true intermingling of racial and ethnic groups is happening, he argues.
Understanding How City Rules Affect Urban Areas
In this excerpt from the new book, "City Rules: How Regulations Affect Urban Form," author Emily Talen outlines the ways in which zoning ordinances, building codes and other bureaucratic restrictions negatively affect urban areas.
Public Art Rejuvenates a City
Less than 25 years ago, Nantes was an old port town languishing in the wake of failing industry. But thanks to a commitment to public art, it has since become a cultural mecca and thriving tourist destination, Frank Browning reports.
Study Says Induced Traffic Effect Too Often Ignored
Despite many studies confirming the effect of induced traffic, the effect is often ignored in the transport models used for project appraisal, says a team of Scandanavian researchers creating an extreme bias in the assessment of new projects.
Bridging the Gap Between the Virtual World and Reality
A young artist in New Orleans launches a social experiment on the built environment, turning the walls of the city's buildings into a public forum.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
