Community / Economic Development

Op-ed columnist Andrew Ross notes that while some progressive cities are being lauded for sustainable, green design, most American cities struggle to achieve sustainable results that are available to all residents.

November 8, 2011 - The New York Times

ArtPlace America has issued a landmark series of grants dedicated to supporting the 'creative class' and enhance communities through the arts. Organizations in California snagged eight of thirty-four grants nationwide.

November 8, 2011 - California Planning & Development Report

Attach a digital camera to a balloon or kite, and what do you get? An easy tool for public participation in land use decisions, says Eymund Diegel of the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science.

November 8, 2011 - The Mobile City

Elizabeth Currid-Halkett examins the viability of arts driven urban revitalization and finds that the strongest predictor of success is the nature of the art being produced and exhibited in the neighborhood.

November 7, 2011 - The New York Times

A new Brookings Institution report shows that places of concentrated poverty are getting worse due to unsustained growth nationwide and the suburbanization of poverty. Authors Elizabeth Kneebone and Alan Berube expound on the findings.

November 6, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

While the rest of the city's waterfronts are to be developed as public promenades, much of Brooklyn wants to retain its previous industrial uses. Liana Grey reports.

November 5, 2011 - Real Estate Weeky

Charles Marohn believes that the way the US manages its infrastructure spending is problematic He finds that the lack of federal support for maintenance leads states to irrationally prioritize new projects over repairing old.

November 3, 2011 - Strong Towns Blog

Richey Piiparinen weighs the good and bad aspects of a proposed casino which the developer says will be "integrated within the fabric" of Cleveland's downtown.

November 3, 2011 - Rust Wire

"Redfields to Greenfields," a project currently being developed at Georgia Tech in partnership with City Parks Alliance advocacy group, would convert empty commercial sites into parks, writes Nate Berg for The Atlantic Cities.

November 3, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

The Mayor has proposed a $1.5 billion plan to build a football stadium, named Farmers Field in L.A.'s downtown with the goal of boosting the region's overall economy.

November 2, 2011 - newgeography

How grassroots entrepreneurs and inspired religious leaders are working to erase urban blight in Detroit.

November 1, 2011 - Urban Faith

With little taxpayer investment, a dynamic Moshe Safdie-designed Center for the Performing Arts has arisen in Kansas City. Hampton Stevens says that the companies are betting on the power of the arts to attract investment and attention.

November 1, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

A.O. Scott reviews the final installment of Gary Hustwit's design trilogy, "Urbanized," and concludes that even those with a deep knowledge of urban planning are likely to learn something from the carefully selected images and interviews.

October 31, 2011 - The New York Times

In an another nuance of the ownership laws that govern New York's parks and plazas, the modernist masterpiece Lever House will close today to keep its plaza privately public.

October 31, 2011 - The New York Times

With its first casino currently under construction, Cincinnati is attempting to redefine the stereotype with a consciously urban design that turns the typical casino inside-out.

October 31, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

Buffalo reporters Maki Becker and Jay Rey look at a Brookings Institution report that reveals the majority of locals living below the poverty line live in the Erie and Niagara county suburbs.

October 31, 2011 - The Buffalo News

Last week, local officials announced that the troubled city's largest employers, including three hospitals and a university, will begin offering incentives to lure workers into buying homes in the area. Geoff Mulvihill reports.

October 30, 2011 - Chicago Tribune

Urban planning professors from the University of Kansas suggest that televising community meetings and using techniques from reality TV could significantly increase participation.

October 28, 2011 - Journal Of The American Planning Association

Drawing from lessons learned by a Seattle-based economic development organization working in Africa, Chuck Wolfe notes that "[s]ometimes, finding a way to keep a meaningful rural existence trumps city life."

October 28, 2011 - myurbanist

The Trader Joe's grocery chain, which has long cultivated a funky neighborhood vibe, is going national and opening bigger stores. Will communities still love a big box TJs?

October 28, 2011 - The Los Angeles Times