Community / Economic Development
Do It Yourself Urban Design
Gordon Douglas, writing for Good Magazine, explains that there has been an increase in the "unauthorized, creative alteration of public spaces for the common good" by enterprising citizens.
Best Cities for Small Businesses
Luring business has long been a major strategy among cities to stay prosperous. This ranking lists the cities in America that are best at bringing in and harboring small businesses.
Metro Job Generators
Regional business planning and cooperation at the metropolitan level is creating hubs of prosperity in the U.S.
Redevelopment Agencies' Debt Overshadows Revenue
California's redevelopment agencies have almost as much if not more debt than what they pull in from tax revenues, according to this investigation by The Wall Street Journal.
Bulldozing Quincy, Mass - and Building it Back Up
Most cities don't get the chance to start from scratch. But Quincy, Mass. plans to raze most of its 50-acre center and build it anew with the aid of a private developer's upfront funding - a plan that may rewrite the rules of urban development.
Growth Does Not Equal Productivity
Richard Florida writes that population growth and wealth do not go hand in hand -- wealth comes from improvements in productivity. In fact, some of the areas with the biggest leaps in population are suffering real declines in wealth.
The Next Dubai
The tiny mideast country of Qatar is a new hotbed of infrastructure activity and foreign investment, leading some to suggest that it will be the next place to take off in the region.
10 Tips for Building a Stadium in L.A.
As the city of Los Angeles edges closer to approving the construction of a new sports stadium in downtown, this post from Curbed LA offers 10 suggestions on how the stadium could and should fit into the city.
Street Food Vendors Approved in Vancouver
Vancouver is expanding its city-approved downtown street food vending program, with a recently approved list of new vendors allowed to cook and sell food from carts on the street.
America's New Ghost Towns
Depopulation and empty houses are creating modern day ghost towns throughout America. This piece introduces the latest class of emptying areas.
Revitalizing Mountain View
The former City Manager of Mountain View explains how a city once known as a second-class dormitory community turned its downtown area into a lively, successful, and loved place.
Every City For Itself: Adapting to Climate Change
What cities are best prepared for climate change, and which will falter? Josh Stephens reviews Climatopolis: How Our Cities Will Thrive in a Hotter Future by Matthew Kahn.
The Good and Bad of London's "Boris Bikes"
According to Joe Peach of This Big City, London public transit finally got something right with its cycle hire scheme, now known as "Boris Bikes."
Wall Street Journal Ranks U.S.' Most Miserable Cities
The WSJ's annual Misery Index looked at unemployment rates, gas prices, and changes in home values to determine the rankings of 20 major US cities.
Rethinking Retail Strategies in an Urbanizing U.S.
Writing for Retail Traffic Magazine, David Lynn claims that a renewed urbanization movement in the United States will drive retailers and investors to change their strategies to fit a more urban market.
Holland, Michigan's Heated Sidewalks Bring People Together
A small town in Michigan created a network of underground pipes to divert waste heat from its power plant to downtown streets and sidewalks. Today, the community benefits from sidewalks that remain clear and dry no matter how cold it gets.
Americans Prefer Smart Growth Neighborhoods, Study Finds
A recent study by the National Association of Realtors found that 56 per cent of respondents preferred walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods over neighborhoods that required more driving between home, work, and recreation.
Consolidating Detroit
As Detroit shrinks, a team of consultants and city officials are faced with the daunting task of reforming a city that is largely full of holes.
Cleanup Crew Plays Ball in Closed Tiger Stadium
Volunteers in Detroit recently performed a community cleanup in an unlikely location: the old Tiger Stadium.
Growth in Population, Not Necessarily in Prosperity
States are rowing in population, but not necessarily in terms of their economies. This post from The Atlantic explores why this presumed relationship isn't actually occurring.
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
