Community / Economic Development
Mega-Cities Team Up to Fight Climate Change
The mayors of the world's biggest cities convened in Sao Paolo recently to team up against climate change and sea level rise. Neal Peirce sees much promise in the effort.
High Rises: One Size That Doesn't Fit All
Two big names are calling for more high rise development and less of the historic preservation efforts that have often prevented it in dense urban areas. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Inga Saffron says they're wrong.
Washington Towns Reimagine Waterfronts
A number of cities in Washington are embarking on waterfront redevelopment projects. The projects range from the relatively small to the complete makeover.
Friday Funny: The Totalitarian Utopianism of Smurfs
A new book by researcher Antoine Buéno looks at the cartoon and comic book characters the Smurfs as an example of a totalitarian regime with utopian goals.
Designers and Architects a Major Aspect of New York City's Economy
A new report focusing on design professionals and architects in New York finds that these industries are on a strong growth path and create a significant impact on the local economy.
Unfinished Nuclear Plant Converted into Amusement Park
A never-completed nuclear reactor in Germany is being converted into an amusement park. The project has been years in the works, and is still only partially converted.
New Urbanism's Young Adherents Keep it Fresh
Writing on the recent Congress for the New Urbanism annual meeting, Grist's Sarah Goodyear finds some new ideas in a field that's gradually integrated itself into the mainstream.
Emergence in Public Parks
The sudden appearance of a ping pong table in a public park in Dallas is a perfect example of the concept of emergence in cities, according to this post on Pegasus News.
Treasure Island Project Approved in San Francisco
A massive new neighborhood planned for the man-made former military site of Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay has been unanimously approved by the city's Board of Supervisors.
Philadelphia Adopts First Comprehensive Plan in 50 Years
The Philadelphia City Planning Commission adopted the Citywide Vision portion of a new comprehensive plan—the first such venture in five decades
Park Under Toronto Freeway to Transform City
Construction has begun on a new park beneath a Toronto freeway overpass. The Toronto Star's Christopher Hume says the park will change the city forever.
A Disaster Hits Home
Rebecca Bateman grew up in Joplin, Missouri, which was decimated on May 22nd by a tornado. The the personal nature of the disaster has caused her to reflect on some strategies for city planners to consider before a disaster hits.
Steve Jobs Pitches New Apple Campus
Last night Apple CEO Steve Jobs pitched plans for a new campus development to the Cupertino city council.
Kotkin Compares California to Iran
Calling California's attempts at environmental responsibility a "green jihad," Joel Kotkin argues that the state's "ideological extremism" has led to illogical economic and political decisions - similar to those made in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Urban Planners as "Zookeepers"
At the National Building Museum's Intelligent Cities Forum, one participant compared creating healthy cities to creating healthy animal environments in zoos.
Want an Empty Philadelphia Building?
The Philadelphia Housing Authority owns over 3,000 homes and would like to get rid of 1/3rd of them.
The Importance of Delight
On top of all of the planning factors that make a place great, David Roberts adds the element of delight.
The 100 Best Cities for Doing Business
Area Development Online looks for the most desirable locations to locate a business, and finds that smaller cities are outperforming larger ones. Austin, Texas was the indisputable winner.
Bicycles as an African Way of Life
Rural Africa is learning to embrace bicycles as a means of transportation.
Bloomberg Credits High Line with $2b in Development
New York's High Line park isn't just a nice place for a stroll. Mayor Bloomberg credits the line with creating over 12,000 new jobs and $2 billion in private development.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
