Community / Economic Development
Making Retail Work in TODs
Built around a BART station in 1999, Oakland, California's Fruitvale Village has had a tough time keeping its retail space alive (as have many TODs). The property managers have learned some lessons over the years about how to overcome the challenges.
Traffic Plan Offers Potential for Downtown Cleveland
Traffic plans for a new casino in downtown Cleveland could create a major improvement for the neighborhood -- or an indelible sore spot.
Municipal Bond Defaults Unlikely
Many voices have raised concerns over municipalities defaulting on bonds during these tough economic times. But as this op-ed argues, those concerns are misguided.
Cities See Mixed Returns on Spring Training Investments
While some cities in Florida have shelled out big money to build baseball stadia for professional teams' spring training, many of those teams are moving their spring programs to other cities, raising concerns about the wisdom of those investments.
Redevelopment on its Deathbed
As lawmakers in California wrangle over the state's budget, redevelopment agencies appear to be days away from being killed.
Reimagining Detroit
Corey Hill examines the experimentation at work to rebuild Detroit, from green manufacturing to community-led economic initiatives. But the municipal and state governments may be getting in the way.
Tracking Recovery in American Metros
This latest report from The Brookings Institution tracks economic recovery in 100 American metropolitan areas
A Renaissance in Oakland
An urban renaissance is underway in Oakland, where a population surge and a fleet of trendy shops has revived parts of a formerly crime-ridden city.
Why Cities Should Be Mad About Federal Defense Spending
Cities should be mad about the federal government's cutting of discretionary spending and not reducing defense spending, according to this column from Neal Peirce.
The Economic Forces Behind Urbanization
This podcast from The Guardian explores why cities have grown in population and what economic forces are behind this shift.
Borrowing Against Future Revenues to Expand Salt Lake City Rail
Salt Lake City is aggressively expanding its light rail network thanks to a voter approved tax increase. This post wonders whether the city could follow mimic a proposed plan in Los Angeles to speed up the use of those taxes.
A Video Explanation of Congestion Pricing
This video from Streetfilms explains the concept of congestion pricing and looks at how it can affect cities and their mobility.
Russian Olympic City's Vast Transformation
As it prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, the Russian resort city of Sochi has transformed from a "blank slate" into the "world's biggest construction site".
Hypothetical Developments and Urban Interventions
In an effort to encourage thinking about the future of the city, a new group of urban planners/artists has created a series of posters depicting imagined urban developments in New Orleans and posted them around town.
Proposed Stadium Needs More Than Football
Plans to build a football stadium in downtown Los Angeles hinge on more than football. A major element in making the idea work financially for the city is to make it an attractive site for conventions and conferences.
The Dynamics of Immigration in Jackson Heights
Urban Omnibus takes of tour of Queens' Jackson Heights neighborhood with author Suketu Mehta, exploring the vibrant urban culture that has permeated the neighborhood even before Mehta's family moved in in 1977.
Dwindling Small Towns Fight Back
Census data shows that Lacrosse, WA (pop. 315) and other small, rural towns are getting smaller. Some blame the Conservation Reserve Program. But Lacrosse and many others aren't going quietly - they're fighting to hang on.
Top 10 Websites - 2011
Our annual list of the 10 best planning, design, and development websites represents some of the top online resources for news, information and research on the built environment.
In-Depth With Aerotropolis Author
Two unique urban journalists meet, as Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG interviews Greg Lindsay, Fast Company's cities reporter, about his new book Aerotropolis: The Way We'll Live Next.
Mapping the Nation's Well-Being
Who's the happiest and healthiest of them all? The New York Times posts an interactive map of the national Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
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
