Community / Economic Development
Ped, Bike, & Bus: Transforming NYC Streets
This 6-minute video looks at how New York City streets have changed after a mere three years of planning. Pedestrian plazas, bike lanes, and bus rapid transit are the major projects highlighted, and the improvements to economy, health, and happiness
The White House's New Neighborhood Revitalization Effort
A collaboration between five different neighborhood-focused federal efforts seeks to aid and inspire neighborhood revitalization.
'Inchvesting' in the Future of Detroit
A group in Detroit has begun an effort to sell of one-inch parcels of land in the city for $1.
Great Design Costs Money (And Is Worth It)
A new pedestrian bridge, recently opened near a BART station in the San Francisco Bay Area, is an example of why the high price of good design can sometimes be worth it.
Policing 'Gutter Punks' in San Francisco
Heather Mac Donald defends a contentious law, spurred by frustration over migratory youths in Haight-Ashbury, that would ban sitting or lying on city sidewalks between 7 AM and 11 PM.
Fearing a 'Middle Class Ghetto'
As London redevelops its troubled East End ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics, organizers are warning against the post-event developments turning into ghettos of the middle class.
An Example of Post-Industrial Rebirth
Germany's Ruhr region, a former coal and steel powerhouse that fell into decline, has shown major improvements in recent years, offering hope for other post-industrial cities.
Another City Bans Plastic Bags
Telluride, CO just became the latest U.S. city to ban the distribution of plastic shopping bags, following on the heels of communities in California, North Carolina, Alaska, Connecticut, and Washington.
Community Development Through Pie
A new community kitchen and pie-baking program in small town Alabama is trying to help a struggling and impoverished area rebound.
Recession-Proof Small Cities
In 2009, smaller metro areas benefited from increased government spending while many of the country’s wealthiest areas saw incomes decrease.
New Study Reveals Poverty Growing Twice as Fast in Suburbs
A Brookings Study of census data finds that since 2000, the number of poor people in the suburbs jumped by 37.4% to 13 million and "the growth rate of suburban poverty is more than double that of cities."
Las Vegas Faces Unique Road to Recovery
While other parts of the country see economic improvement, Las Vegas continues to experience the deepest crisis of its modern history. Is its leisure-based economy to blame?
A Tale of Two Tall Towers
Josh Leon reports on his time "around two instructive pieces of vertical architecture that could presumably be competitors in a transoceanic race between the US and China for economic hegemony."
Downtown Dallas Breaks Freeways' Concrete Stranglehold
Dallas is hoping to break the ring of concrete created by the surrounding Central Expressway and Interstates 30 and 35.
New Report Proposes Ways to Combat L.A.'s "Food Deserts"
A new report from The Los Angeles Food Policy Task Force calls for the government to take steps to increase accessibility to local, healthy food in urban areas.
The Solution to Food Deserts: WalMart?
Activists who want to solve the problem of "food deserts" in underserved areas push for co-ops and and independent grocery stores. But would large chains like WalMart be a better solution?
Why "Top 10 Cities" Lists Are Impossible to Resist
Publishers and marketing folks admit that the barrage of lists titled "Top 10 Places To...." is inspired purely by the public's inability to resist clicking them.
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.
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
