Community / Economic Development
Stadium Renovation Prices out Brazil's Poor from its Most Revered Public Space
As Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, renovations to the Maracana, an infamous soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro, are pricing out the city's poor. Some say the work is killing one of the city's few egalitarian public places.
The "Eccentric" Town of Canon, Georgia
When asked to describe their town at a charrette, the residents of Canon chose words like "rundown", "courageous" and "eccentric". University of Georgia students and professors worked with locals to create a vision for the town.
Can A Failed Mega-Mall Un-Fail?
Officials in New Jersey are planning to revive a stalled megamall project called Xanadu. The New York Times asks a panel of experts whether the plan should move forward.
One Year Down, 3,000 Homes Demolished
Officials in Detroit have demolished 3,000 buildings over the course of the last year, a goal set by Mayor Dave Bing.
New Haitian President Faces Major Rebuilding Challenges
Michel Martelly is the newly elected president of Haiti. He faces the large challenge of rebuilding much of the country's population center, which was devastated by an earthquake in January 2010.
How Chinese Megacities Avoid Problems
Megacities are quickly on the rise in China. But as this post from New Geography argues, they've managed to avoid problems currently faced by other megacities in developing nations.
Can California Solve Its Budget Deficit and Save Redevelopment?
Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster and a group of local stakeholders is circulating a proposal that would help the state of California and generate revenue for local redevelopment. Is it too late for a win-win in California?
Data Shows Internet Not Ruining Bricks-and-Mortar Retail
Counter-intuitively, Natl. Real Estate Investor says that sales in physical stores is supported by increases in broadband, and therefore the internet seems to enhance retail sales in shops.
Forbes' "Best Cities for Jobs 2011"
Joel Kotkin teamed up with Michael Shires to produce the annual Best Cities for Jobs list for Forbes Magazine.
A New Strategy for Shrinking Cities
In this article, Roberta Brandes Gratz argues that demolition-based strategies are not an effective way for shrinking cities to promote revitalization. Instead, she cites a recent auction of blighted homes in New Orleans as a better alternative.
Seattle's Answer to Affordable Housing
Zach Patton details the effects of Seattle's zoning regulation which allows for the construction of "backyard cottages." These cottages, writes the author, are a viable way to increase urban density and provide affordable housing.
Decentralizing Decisionmaking in New Orleans' Recovery
Various plans and strategies have been crafted over the years to try to help New Orleans recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. While early plans took a stronger stance, the city is now taking a less heavy-handed approach.
Improving Planning in San Francisco
The Wall Street Journal talks with Gabriel Metcalf, executive director of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, about where the city is heading and how it needs to change.
Immigration and Economic Competitiveness
Immigrant populations can be valuable assets to communities. This post from The Atlantic looks at how different countries' openness to immigrants benefits their economic development.
Remaking a Suburb into as Small Business Hub
Levittown is the quintessential American suburb. A new proposal seeks to reinvent it as a hub for small businesses.
Understanding the World's Urban Transition
Two writers from different parts of the world collaborate to expound on the evolution of places and how best to understand the changes underway in the urban world.
Fighting Canadian Sprawl with TDRs
The TDR, or transfer of development rights, could be a way for Canadian cities to reduce the expansion of its sprawling cities, according to this piece.
Jane Jacobs and the Downfall of Planning
Is urban planning losing its relevance as a profession? Some say yes. In this essay from Places, Thomas Campanella suggests that the roots of this fall from grace lie in the era of Jane Jacobs.
Amid Down Market, Developers Try Harder to Lure Homebuyers
Single family home sales are down in the U.S., which is driving some developers to try to spice up their deals by offering incentives like new cars with purchase.
The Fall of the Suburbs
In this wide-ranging post for The Atlantic, the NRDC's Kaid Benfield explores some of the major trends playing out in urban and suburban America, and how the suburbs are less and less the dominant urban form in the market.
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
