Community / Economic Development

Demographic Change Creates New Types of Regional Metropolises

Though population growth rates have slowed in cities and suburbs, their increasing interconnectedness has created sets of diverse metropolitan areas, according to the Brookings Institution's Alan Berube.

July 20, 2011 - The Brookings Institution

California Cities Sue Over Laws That Kill Redevelopment

Cities have filed a lawsuit with the California State Supreme Court over recently passed laws that eliminate funding for the state's redevelopment agencies.

July 19, 2011 - San Jose Mercury News

The City Manager, Post-Bell

The small southern California town of Bell became notorious for corruption when the exploits of its city manager were revealed in a newspaper investigation. The crime highlights the power of the city manager and how those powers can be misused.

July 19, 2011 - Zocalo Public Square

Neighborhood Sustainability the Focus of New Code Ideas in Seattle

A set of recommendations for changes to land-use regulations in Seattle is being highlighted by Mayor Mike McGinn as a way to both create sustainable neighborhoods and jobs. One of the authors of the recommendations explains.

July 19, 2011 - Crosscut

Inside California's Foreclosures

California's San Joaquin Valley has become a hotbed of foreclosed homes. But beyond mere statistics, these homes are real places, and a new series of photographs documents them as scenes of surrender and abandonment.

July 19, 2011 - Places

A More Entertaining Transit Hub

In an effort to improve the visitor experience and boost business, operators of a busy transit hub in Boston are bringing in performers and various activities to entertain people waiting and convince others to linger longer.

July 19, 2011 - The Boston Globe

Public Parks Online

As the desire for wireless internet increases, some public parks are finding that Wi-Fi networks are becoming a new and important amenity.

July 18, 2011 - Time

Fusion Businesses as Indicators of Urban Change

Chuck Wolfe explains how the fusion of laundromats and dining are evidence of the evolving city and the ongoing need for regulatory reform.

July 17, 2011 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Hunters Point Project Moves Ahead in San Francisco

The redevelopment of former Navy land at Hunters Point in San Francisco appears to be moving ahead after a judge overruled environmental objections that could have stalled development of the new residential neighborhood.

July 16, 2011 - San Francisco Chronicle

How Do US Cities Measure Up in Broadband Accessibility?

According to this piece from CivSource, US cities have fallen considerably behind other developed world cities when it comes to broadband accessibility. The influence of private sector "incumbents" is to blame, writes the author.

July 15, 2011 - CivSource

The Future of Los Angeles' Union Station

On Wednesday, LA Metro started the process of soliciting proposals for the redevelopment of the 42 acres of land it owns around Union Station.

July 15, 2011 - The Architect's Newspaper

Richard Florida Explains "The Geography of How We Get to Work"

In a piece from The Atlantic Richard Florida discusses the factors that shape Americans' commuting patterns. Some of his assertions are counter to commonly accepted explanations for commuting behaviors.

July 15, 2011 - The Atlantic

Europe's Most Dynamic City

Berlin, Brussels or Bruges? Against the backdrop of an ongoing debt crisis, planning pundits deliberate on which European city is the true "dynamic center of Europe."

July 14, 2011 - The New York Times

Clean Economy Shows Potential for Rapid Growth

In the Brookings Institute's pulse check on the nation's clean economy, researchers found that most of the country's clean economy jobs and recent growth were held in the largest metropolitan areas.

July 14, 2011 - The Brookings Institute

Jobs Up in Rural Areas

With unemployment numbers falling, jobs are on the rise in some rural parts of the country.

July 14, 2011 - The Daily Yonder

The Corporate Forces Behind the Transcontinental Railroads

A new book looks into the history of the transcontinental railroads and how the corrupt connection between politics and business helped spread the American economy to the West.

July 14, 2011 - NPR

Mixed Feelings As San Diego Dissolves Planning Department

As the San Diego Planning Department folds into another department to save city money, locals and former officials grapple with whether it was the right move and how the city could change as a result.

July 13, 2011 - The Architect's Newspaper

German Port Town Transforms into Thriving, Ambitious Community

HafenCity, a neighborhood in the Hamburg docklands, is sprouting into a model redevelopment project by caring for the human element and adapting the port's cultural history into the physical landscape.

July 13, 2011 - Mother Nature Network

Federal Officals to Aid Recovery in Six Problematic U.S. Cities

Federal officials are being sent to work in six cities including Detroit, Cleveland and New Orleans to help coordinate local officials to "tap federal funds and leverage local and regional resources," The Wall Street Journal's Sharon Terlep reports.

July 13, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

Brazil to Receive Billions for Mobility Ahead of World Cup

The cities hosting the 2014 World Cup in Brazil have been awarded an infusion of $6 billion from the Inter-American Development Bank to fund urban mobility and other efforts ahead of the event.

July 13, 2011 - The City Fix

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.

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.