Community / Economic Development

The Smart Math of Mixed-Use Development

Are cities across the country acting negligently in ignoring the property tax implications of different development types? Joseph Minicozzi thinks so, and he's done the math to prove it.

January 23, 2012 - Joseph Minicozzi

Zappos Founder "Trades Shoes for Urban Planning"

Zappos founder Tony Hsieh and his team went from designing a new campus to an entirely new collaborative city in downtown Las Vegas for Zappos employees and other emerging members of the creative class.

January 23, 2012 - CNN Money - Fortune Tech

A Case Study of Apple Shows Why The US Can't Compete Globally

Apple's decision to performs most of its engineering and manufacturing overseas, highlights how the US government and the US manufacturing industry can no longer compete internationally. " 'Made in the U.S.A.' is no longer a viable option."

January 23, 2012 - The New York Times

Dodging Economic Pitfalls in Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City Mayor, Mick Cornett, discusses the powerful role cities play in job creation and economic stability.

January 23, 2012 - NPR-Morning Edition

Google Fiber Work Hung Up In Kansas City

With much fanfare, Kansas City was selected in 2011 as the launching site for Google's experimental fast fiber-optic network. Now, a dispute about how and where to run fiber optic lines on poles in the city is causing significant delays.

January 21, 2012 - The Kansas City Star

Who Gets Hurt When Redevelopment Gets Abandoned?

Ron Nyren examines the various types of projects that will be negatively impacted by California's decision to abandon redevelopment.

January 20, 2012 - Urban Land

Revealing Parking's Hidden Costs

Dave Gardetta highlights the work of Donald Shoup and others whose mission is to eradicate the parking minimum in Los Angeles.

January 20, 2012 - Los Angeles Magazine

An Ever Evolving Zoning Code

However one's feelings on zoning, New York City's Resolution has changed over the years to positively reinforce good social initiatives over the outright banishment of negative uses, Julie V. Iovine reports.

January 20, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

The Future of Development in D.C.

Steven Pearlstein reads the tea leaves to predict the future development patterns in Washington, D.C. and finds that all signs point inwards to the city center and its closer-in suburbs.

January 19, 2012 - The Washington Post

Zoe Strauss Chronicles Philadelphia's Urbanity

Next American City Editor in Chief, Diana Lind describes how vital and particular Zoe Strauss' photographs are to the city of Philadelphia, and its cultural and political future.

January 19, 2012 - Next American City

The Innovations Building the Next Economy in 2012

Bruce Katz and Judith Rodin identify the forward thinking and innovative solutions that collaborative groups are implementing to restore prosperity to their communities.

January 18, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

How Has Rochester Avoided Decay?

It used to be that Rochester's fortunes were tied to its hometown company, Eastman Kodak. Peter Applebome looks at how the city has managed to avoid the long slide of its famous inhabitant.

January 18, 2012 - The New York Times

China Officially More Urban Than Rural

On Tuesday, China's National Bureau of Statistics announced that China has, for the first time ever, more urban than rural dwellers.

January 17, 2012 - The Telegraph

The Hidden Underlying Value of Historic Reuse

Urban Land explores examples of recent projects where historic assets serve as unlikely catalysts for master-planned community development and economic growth

January 17, 2012 - Urban Land

Thinking About Your City as A Startup

An increasing number of cities, often led by entrepreneurial mayors, are thinking and acting like startups. The qualities that make a startup company and a city successful, are "remarkably similar".

January 16, 2012 - Tech Cruch

Bjarke Ingels' Architectural Response To 'Singularity'

Joerg Haentzschel interviews the young architect Bjarke Ingels. Through offices now established in Copenhagen and New York, Ingels is slowly pushing his 'pragmatic utopian architecture' into the mainstream.

January 16, 2012 - 032C

Upzoning Midtown

Catering to potential office tenants who would want more modern spaces, New York City officials are toying with rezoning a swath of midtown Manhattan, allowing for even more density and the replacement of aging office buildings.

January 15, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Inner City Abandonment, in Photos

David Schalliol's photographs of abandoned places around the country are intended to be testaments to various social forces that have broken down urban places in recent years. But, he says, they are optimistic as well.

January 15, 2012 - Huffington Post

A Way Forward for Redevelopment in California?

In an opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times, William Fulton, former mayor of Ventura and the only mayor in California who supported the Governor's proposal to end redevelopment, offers concrete steps for reviving redevelopment in the state.

January 13, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Confronts High Cost of Dismantling Redevelopment Agency

The City's top budget official has warned that dismantling the Redevelopment Agency could cost the city more than $109 million in new expenses.

January 12, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

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.