Community / Economic Development
Main Street, U.S.A.
Rick Wright is the Executive Director of MainStreet Oceanside, and is attending the California Downtown Association conference. But Rick also edits MiceChat, a blog for Disney obsessives, and this week he features Main Streets, Disney and otherwise.
Picher, OK: Toxic Town
Most of the bullets made for WWI and II came out of the ground under Picher, Oklahoma. The minerals ran out in 1970, and the OK government bought out residents of the city to get them to leave. A handful of people stayed.
Dubai Calms Down
After nearly collapsing under the pressure of a free-wheeling building boom, Dubai is on the rebound. A new internal accounting effort is trying to explore what went wrong and how to avoid those mistakes in the future.
Looking for Livability in Congress
Grist talks with Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon about congressional efforts to integrate ideas of livability into communities and policy.
Small Town Bucks Trend, Lowers Property Tax
While cities across the country are raising fees to counteract the recession, the village of Schaumburg, Illinois is bucking the trend and decreasing or even eliminating municipal fees.
Building Takes More Realistic Pace in Dubai
Once the site of a seemingly endless string of outlandish building projects, Dubai has shaken off the dust from the market crash and resumed building less flashy projects at a steadier pace.
Community-Led Efforts Unseen in New Orleans
Looking back on five years of recovery in post-Katrina New Orleans, Roberta Brandes Gratz bemoans the fact that much of the community-based work remains below the radar.
Plotting the Future of Austin Amid Major Change
With more than 750,00 people expected to add on to the city's population over the next 30 years, officials and locals in Austin are trying to map out how the city should grow and change to handle the influx.
Art Event Brings in Bucks for Grand Rapids
"Art works," says Jason Schupbach of the NEA. And in Grand Rapids, Michigan, it really does, where the yearly ArtPrize event draws in an estimated $5-7 million in economic impact each year.
The Post-Olympics Neighborhood
For a few weeks in 2012 a part of East London will be host to 20,000 journalists. After the Summer Olympics, though, the area set to host the media will be a mixed use neighborhood of nearly 3,000 homes, if all goes as planned.
Troubled Times for Sun Belt Cities
Recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show that poverty is at a high point in America. Hit especially hard is the Sun Belt.
Factory Jobs on the Rise
Manufacturing jobs have increased 1.6% since the beginning of the year, twice as fast as other job types. Could manufacturing return to U.S. cities?
How "Arrival Cities" Are Shaping the Future
In his new book, Arrival City, Doug Saunder explores how cities can ease the planet's "final migration" by creating "arrival" neighborhoods that allow newcomers to make connections with each other, their home villages and especially their new cities.
Are We Living in a Golden Age?
It depends on your criteria, says Aaron M. Renn. A golden age of accessibility and consumption? Yes. But is it better to be in an era of plenty, or an era of creation and discovery?
Future Olympic Host Working Around the Clock
Sochi, Russia, is set to play host to the Winter Olympics in 2014. Preparations are fast underway, with construction work happening practically around the clock.
Regional Agencies Abolished in U.K.
Regional Development Agencies, a U.K. fixture that developed regional strategies for placing affordable housing and creating jobs, are being replaced by "Local Enterprise Partnerships", which, as Alison Killing writes, sounds suspiciously different.
Immigrant Growth Powers Houston As A Global City
The growth of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Continental Airlines' largest hub but also one of he principal destinations away from the coasts for international carriers, has vastly increased passenger traffic and allowed Houston's reinvention.
Daley's Success As Chicago's 20-Year Mayor
Neal Pierce argues that retiring Mayor Daley's achievements in Chicago "stand out as beacons for mayors, American and worldwide, to emulate." He attributes some of his success to sheer political skill, but also examines seven effective policy shifts.
Taking the Gloom Out of Peak Oil
The latest issue of Yes! Magazine focuses on local resilience, and how preparing for a Peak Oil era -- through such efforts as the Transition Town movement -- can be a positive force for community building.
From 'Ruin Porn' to 'Prosperity Porn'
A new series of films about Detroit go beyond the "ruin porn" that has flooded the media in recent years and focuses on the good things happening in the city.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
