Community / Economic Development
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.
LeylandAlliance and Educational Realty Trust Sign Deal
Overall, this $220 million project will be "one of the most ambitious public/private initiatives" in Connecticut.
A Museum-Based Charrette on Riverfront Revitalization
A new museum exhibit in Vermont invites visitors to review various proposals for updating the riverfront in Brattleboro -- and allows them to submit their own ideas.
Ownership Undecided on California Naval Base Redevelopment
A decommissioned naval base in Concord, California, is moving steadily towards redevelopment as a mixed use community. But who will own the redeveloped base is still undecided.
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
