Community / Economic Development

An Industrial Community Explosion in Brooklyn

The manufacturing industry is rapidly growing in Brooklyn. But unlike the black smokestacks of the past, this new industrial revolution is both green and high-tech.

July 9, 2010 - Metropolis

Calculating the Decision: House or Apartment?

The New York Times calculates the cost difference between living in a single family house versus an apartment in the New York area.

July 8, 2010 - The New York Times

Tracking City Issues Through Read/Write Urbanism

Adam Greenfield looks at issue tracking systems for cities, and suggests that they can be taken a step farther by adding unique identifiers to urban infrastructure that automatically notifies city systems when problems arise.

July 8, 2010 - Urban Omnibus

"Not Only Hi-Tech, It's Also Lederhosen"

Munich returns to the top of Monocle's most liveable cities for 2010. According to Monocle, Munich is a place where "wealth and prosperity are reinvested in transport, infrastructure and environmental initiatives."

July 8, 2010 - Monocle Magazine

The Resurrection of the Small Movie Theater

Small movie theaters, long thought dead, are having a comeback as vital centers in small towns across the country.

July 8, 2010 - The Infrastructurist

The Keys To Charlotte's Successful Light Rail

Many things came together for light rail to come to Charlotte, starting in 1996. Key was perseverance by a conservative mayor, a volunteer group that started a historic trolley, voters who supported a sales tax, and experienced transit professionals

July 8, 2010 - Grist: Cities of the Future

Calthorpe Clashes With Environmentalists

Famed architect Peter Calthorpe has designed several large developments planned for the San Francisco Bay Area, but some local environmentalist groups aren't satisfied that they are green enough.

July 7, 2010 - The New York Times - Bay Citizen

State Fairs Latest Casualty of Budget Cuts

The Michigan State Fair, the oldest state fair in the nation, won't happen this summer. Gov. Jennifer Granholm nixed the state's usual subsidy due to the serious strain on the state's budget.

July 7, 2010 - Governing Magazine

Saving Small-Town Movie Theaters

Small town movie theaters are seeing new interest from community members who are fighting -- and volunteering -- to keep them open.

July 5, 2010 - The New York Times

Cities Fighting For Lebron

Cities are falling over themselves to try to convince basketball superstar Lebron James that he should pick their NBA franchise as his new team.

July 5, 2010 - Next American City

The Transformation of the Great Plains States

Joel Kotkin reports that the from Dallas to Des Moines and Bismark, the urban areas of the Great Plains states has seen steady growth thanks to energy, agriculture and high-tech jobs.

July 4, 2010 - New Geography

The Food Element of Sustainability in Baltimore

The City of Baltimore has appointed a new "food czar" to look at food health and access issues in the city. In the broader senses, though, officials in the city look at this new position as a part of their sustainability planning.

July 3, 2010 - Good

Home Building and Sales Down

New figures from the National Association of Realtors show that the number of new homes being built and the number of homes being sold were both down during May.

July 3, 2010 - The New York Times

Milwaukee's Big List of Wishes

Planners in Milwaukee have announced a slate of plaza and public space improvement projects that they hope will help catalyze urban regeneration in the city.

July 2, 2010 - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Cleveland: The Garden City?

Cleveland, Ohio has pursued an aggressive policy of greening it vacant and underused land. A program called Garden Boyz employs local youth to tend the gardens, keeping the landscape vital and keeping the kids out of gangs.

July 2, 2010 - Next American City

BART Expansion Raises Questions About TOD in San Jose

Plans to expand the Bay Area's BART system to the Silicon Valley have brought into question the future of a San Jose flea market that some want to turn into a transit-oriented development.

July 2, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal

L.A.'s High Line West

A new linear park project near L.A.'s port seeks to ride the success of New York City's High Line park.

July 2, 2010 - The Architect's Newspaper

Qatar's Boom Looks Beyond World Cup

As Qatar plans to spend billions on infrastructure and stadia ahead of its hosting of the 2022 World Cup, locals are hopeful that plans will focus on longer-term impacts.

July 1, 2010 - Reuters

Asian Cities Must Look For A Sustainability Beyond the Economic

As Asian economic prowess powers the continent's businesses toward prosperity, governments need to find a way to accommodate the 2 billion extra people that will inhabit its major cities by the middle of the century.

July 1, 2010 - Financial Times

Can "Cities of Service" Meet Local Needs?

The Cities of Service coalition, a new initiative funded through Rockefeller Foundation grants, aims to facilitate local volunteer-based efforts to meet community needs.

July 1, 2010 - Huffington Post

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.