Community / Economic Development
Local Rebuilding Efforts Underpin New Orleans' Recovery
The recovery of New Orleans is happening in many small ways. One of them is the work of community groups to rebuild and re-inhabit damaged homes.
Floating Walkway Planned for London Olympics
Officials in London are considering a plan to build a 1-kilometer floating walkway on the Thames River in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
NYC Streets Transformation a Cause for Celebration
A number of articles have recently been written criticizing New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan for dramatically changing the city's mobility. This column from Metropolis says that criticism is misdirected.
Trying To Reclaim and Reuse Abandoned Land in Philadelphia
Community groups in Philadelphia are trying to remake blighted vacant properties into community gardens and neighborhood amenities.
Cities at Risk from Political Budget Cuts
Mary Newsom comes away from a conference on cities concerned that the gains of the past decades in cities - improved transit, downtown revitalization - could be destroyed by budget cuts.
Isolation and Dissatisfaction in the Suburbs
A new study looking at neighborhood satisfaction finds that people living in the suburbs are less satisfied than urban dwellers.
Supermarkets Designed to Make You Fat
Access to healthy food is a major issue in public health. But just because there's a grocery store nearby doesn't mean health will improve. One entrepreneur looking at supermarket design says the way stores are laid out negatively affects health.
Mega-Events Take Toll on Brazil's Slum Dwellers
This op-ed from Al Jazeera looks at some of the negative ways preparations for the World Cup and Olympics are affecting the poor in Brazil.
New Orleans as a Laboratory for Architecture and Urban Planning
An article in The Architect's Newspaper describes post-Katrina redevelopment plans and calls the city a lab for architecture and planning.
More Renters Means Fewer Affordable Options
A new report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) says that the number of Americans spending more than 50% of their income on housing is at an all-time high.
The Passion (And Rationality) Of Ed Glaeser
Harvard professor Edward Glaeser's Triumph of the City presents cool-headed analysis that largely confirms the theories that Jane Jacobs first advanced 40 years ago, says Adam Christian.
Buffalo's Plan to Become "the Berkeley of New York"
Once the 8th largest city in the United States, Buffalo, NY is now ranked 70th (with 261,000 residents). After several failed attempts at urban renewal, the city leadership is trying a new approach - namely, to recast Buffalo as a college town.
PWC Ranks Top "Cities of Opportunity"
PricewaterhouseCoopers recently published the fourth edition of Cities of Opportunity. The report rates 26 cities in a range of categories (including transportation and infrastructure, for example) and then comes up with a master ranking.
How Universities Affect their Local Economies
The UK-based Centre for Cities published a short report about the several ways that universities can affect local economic performance.
U.S. Mayors Get Crash Course in Planning
Tom Wright, Executive Director of the Regional Plan Association, traces the history of the Mayors' Institute on City Design from its creation 25 years ago to last week's conference which was attended by some of the country's most important mayors.
What Downtown LA Would Like Without Cars (VIDEO)
Three architecture students from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo teamed to make this video which aims to show what an auto-free downtown LA could be.
Downsizing Detroit: How They Found the Money to Shrink, and What We Can Learn
Cities like Detroit can find the funds and initiative to make downsizing work by identifying as many stakeholders and potential partners as possible, writes Alison Bates, who thinks that "right-sizing" is the right move for the city.
Does Minneapolis Need a Casino?
Columnist Steve Berg thinks Minneapolis must be having an identity crisis. What else would explain the city seriously considering putting a casino downtown?
Seeking Suburbia's Future in Its Past
A group of urban designers and architects descends on the ur-suburbia of Levittown. Alison Arieff writes that the urban academics doodled in the margins rather than serious tackle the issues raised by the suburban way of life.
Maine's "Informed Growth Act" Repealed
The 4-year-old Informed Growth Act required large retail stores in Maine to go through an extra hoop to analyze their potential adverse impact on the community. The Maine House repealed the act last week.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
