Community / Economic Development
China Gets Serious About Sustainability
Warren Karlenzig is back from two recent visits to China, and says the Chinese government is preparing to release a hugely ambitious agenda for getting greener.
Urban Enterprise Zones Under Investigation
Do they work? That's the question as state officials investigate New Jersey's Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) program.
The Most Miserable City in Canada
Toronto takes the crown in a new study from the Canadian Centre for the Study of Living Standards, ranking lowest in happiness for the country.
Are Smaller Cities Better Equipped for the Future?
Joel Kotkin puts forward the premise that smaller urban regions are more nimble than big cities. Kotkin dubs these smaller cities like Austin, Columbus and Raleigh-Durham "efficient cities."
Different Skills for Different City Sizes
Cities attract skilled workers. But skillsets are not the same across different cities, according to this recent study.
Ground-Up Recovery in New Orleans
Nicole Gelinas argues that five years after Hurricane Katrina, the city is on the path to becoming a bona fide urban success story thanks to its determined residents.
A Think Tank for an Urban Garden
With new fast food restaurants temporarily banned in South L.A. and few new sources of food coming into the area, one local architecture professor set his students loose to work on ideas for a small urban farm.
Effort to Streamline Development Process Underway in L.A.
Officials in Los Angeles are trying to streamline the process of getting projects permitted and approved -- an effort that could rapidly increase the amount of time it takes to develop in the city.
Streetcar Fever Spreads Across US
With a growing belief in the streetcars' ability to catalyze redevelopment, cities are jockeying for federal and local funds to build retro transit systems in their downtowns.
Top 10 Books - 2011
Planetizen is pleased to release its ninth annual list of the ten best books in urban planning, design and development published in 2010. This year's selection includes some big names, some big ideas -- and a book called "Toilet."
NYC ARC Alternative Proposed: Extend The Subway!
Details are now just emerging about a proposal from NYC Mayor Bloomberg to further extend the IRT #7 line from the West Side station by a planned, massive new development, Hudson Yards. Cheaper than a commuter rail tunnel, it would serve NJ Transit.
Failures in Thailand's Shopping Mall Urbanism
Shopping malls are scattered all over Bangkok. On one hand they create a distinct urban setting in the city, but they also fall far short of creating actual community, according to this post.
Transit Plans in Charlotte Face Budget Troubles
Expansion of transit has helped fuel a boost in ridership over the last decade in Charlotte. But with falling tax revenues, the city looks unlikely to be able to continue its planned transit growth.
Bringing a Favela to Life With Vibrant Colors
Two artists have teamed with a favela in Rio de Janeiro to use bright colors to re-frame the slum as a more vibrant area.
It Was the Best of TIFs, It Was the Worst of TIFs
Five years ago, two developers got approval for tax-increment financing (TIF) projects in St. Joseph, Missouri. One was a success, the other a failure. What happened?
A Symbol of Revitalization For a Post-Industrial City
A new center on the campus of Syracuse University is meant to highlight the Rust Belt city's potential -- and to inspire its revitalization.
Atlanta Daily Moves to Suburbs
Metropolitan Atlanta's main daily newspaper has pinned its hopes for survival on suburbia, decamping from downtown to the city's northern suburbs and in the process shedding its urban identity.
Demolished For A Project That Would Never Be
The decision to cancel the planned tunnel beneath the Hudson River to connect New York and New Jersey was not without repercussions.
Planner Malpractice?
Amanda Thompson, planning director of Decatur, GA, suggests that it is a good thing there isn't such a thing as "designer malpractice" or planners would be sued for the horrible impact their work has had on the public health.
Rethinking Detroit
Detroit reporter John Gallagher's new book "Reimagining Detroit" considers what it will take to remake The Motor City into a model that will work for the future.
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
