Community / Economic Development
Charlotte's Big Unemployment Problem
Joblessness in the Charlotte region is high, and has been for a while. This review of unemployment figures shows a long-term problem.
Germany Has Fewer Children, More in Poverty
The population of children in Germany continues to fall, and those that exist are increasingly in poverty.
When Poverty Grows in the City, Poverty Grows in the Suburbs
Metropolitan poverty spreads from cities to the suburbs. This post from Metro Trends explains.
Why Did the U.S. Allow Its Cities to Decline?
Frank Gruber asks, "why, not how." Many of the explanations for decline are clear; why it was allowed to happen, less so. Gruber highlights "suspects" of what might have led to cities' destruction.
Guggenheim City Laboratory Arrives in NYC
The BMW Guggenheim Lab is a traveling exhibition that will visit nine cities in the next six years, providing a public space to explore the challenges of today's cities.
Tree Counting Goes Online, Interactive
PhillyTreeMap makes counting trees interactive with it’s users being able to add trees to its web-based digital map of Philadelphia, reports Gregory Thomas for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Los Angeles Retooling its Neighborhood Representation Experiment
After 10 years in operation, the Neighborhood Council system in L.A. represents a great deal of unfulfilled potential, say City Councilmember Paul Krekorian. With that, and the city's dire financial straits in mind, Krekorian is proposing reforms.
Portable Gardens Move Into Urban San Francisco Space
The Yerba Buena District Street Life Plan starts off its 10-year life to improve public space by placing six mobile gardens in parts of the district that have more concrete and asphalt than vegetation, reports John King for San Francisco Chronicle.
Mayor Intent on Cutting Transit, Libraries, Affordable Housing
Toronto's Mayor Rob Ford keeps insisting that the city has plenty of "gravy" -- in the form of municipal services -- that can be cut from the budget; however, according to Jack Diamond "there is no gravy train."
Your Own Privatopia
Attorney Evan McKenzie explores the world of homeowners' associations and common interest developments, which he says are creating an unfortunate layer of private government over unsuspecting homeowners.
Economic Returns Harder to See in London's Changing Olympic Area
London's preparations for next summer's Olympic Games have been widespread, but the event's economic returns are harder to see.
"The future of India lies in its villages"
This famous statement by Mahatma Gandhi is being challenged by urbanists today who see a shining future for India in its cities. Architect Dhiru Thadani writes that Gandhi's vision of village life can apply to all levels of urban form.
Chicago Opens Doors and Land to Urban Gardening
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has proposed a change to local rules that would allow urban gardens to expand and sell produce within the city.
Detroit Focuses on its Healthiest 'Hoods
Officials in Detroit have unveiled plans to taper off public services in certain parts of town unlikely to see their populations rebound and to focus on areas likely to recover.
Park Spurs Development and Brings Town Through Recession
The creation of a park in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, is credited with helping the city lure new development and stay economically healthy during the recession.
Singapore's Green Plant Revolution
As Singapore's population booms, officials are working through plans to help the city absorb its people but also provide them with adequate green space.
Olympic Regeneration?
With an eye to the future, the planners of London's Olympics have built the Olympics venues in a depressed part of town. They're hoping their work will turn the area around.
Inside London's Olympic Park
London Evening Standard columnist Kieran Long takes a tour through London's Olympic Park and finds a new public space that will likely show its importance long after the games are over.
NIMBYs, For Better or Worse
NIMBYism served a purpose once, says Scott Doyon, preventing all sorts of heinous projects from being built. But eventually, it became about stopping ALL change. Doyon has some recommendations for changing course.
How a Small Town Absorbs 80,000 Concertgoers
Every summer, tiny Manchester, Tennessee, becomes a metropolis of rockers and concertgoers as the Bonnaroo music festival comes to a nearby farm. This piece from Governing looks at how the town adapts to the surge.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
