Community / Economic Development
City Going Broke Maintaining Public Spaces
The City of Walnut, California says it is shelling out $300,000 a year to light streets and maintain public parks and plazas. The property tax assessment that is supposed to pay for maintainance hasn't been increased since the 1990s.
Building Boom In Land Of Foreclosures
It seems inconceivable - building new homes next to new, vacant homes, but with depressed prices for land and labor a new market for home-buyers who missed out on foreclosure sales has developed in states hit worst by the housing crisis.
Creative Reuse Nets Local Food
What can you do with an old crane factory? Turn it into a fish farm, and a hydroponic produce operation.
Working From Home: An Urban Planning Revolution
A piece in The Atlantic argues that telecommuting trends could have significant impacts on the built environment.
Trying to Fit In With the Cool Kids
This post from The Urbanophile explores the world of city branding, and argues that some cities are making the mistake of ignoring their own assets and focusing on trying to embrace the successful assets of others.
A Report from Main Street, O.K.
The National Main Street Conference was in Oklahoma City last week. Bob Phipps, a retail consultant, talks about what he got out of the event.
Schwarzenegger Loots Redevelopment Agencies
A Sacramento State Court gave the Governor permission to redirect money from local redevelopment agency funds to prop up local education.
City And Business House Homeless
San Antonio, Texas, is partnering with business and nonprofit groups on a project aimed at curbing homelessness.
Exciting Things Happening in Medellín
Medellín, Colombia is better known for drug kingpins than architects, but a boom in exciting contemporary architecture with a humanitarian approach has both planners and designers flocking to the city.
Richard Florida and The Great Reset
The Urbanophile reviews Richard Florida's new book, defending his populist approach and tackling Florida's central arguments of investing in the grassroots, encouraging "rentership" and the fundamental societal changes coming soon.
The Infrastructural Benefit of South Africa's World Cup
Next month's World Cup in South Africa will bring a lot of attention to the country, and a lot of opportunity. Though many hope the country will see an economic benefit, the biggest impact is likely to be the creation of urban infrastructure.
With Tourism Down, Japanese Cities Question Their Attractions
Japan is struggling to lure tourists, which is causing officials there to rethink how they market their cities and what sorts of attractions they should be offering.
Peak Hour Parking Pricing Working In Greenwich Village & Brooklyn
Marketplace reports on the parking market from NYC. Peak hour parking is being applied on Sixth Ave in Greenwich Village as a trial to increase parking availability and decrease congestion. Due to positive results, it's now being tried in Brooklyn.
Baking in Public, at the Community Oven
A growing grassroots effort for community-building is to build brick ovens in vacant lots to encourage gatherings. Kyla Fullenwider of GOOD gives step-by-step instructions for putting one in your neighborhood.
How Filming Rules Remade New York City
This post from Places looks at how former New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay's embrace of the film industry helped transform the city.
Some Say Tysons Corner Density Plans Create Too Many Disincentives
Citizens in Tysons Corner worry that plans to densify the city don't offer enough incentives to developers to come to town.
The Key to Livability May Be Education
Pittsburgh and other college towns top Forbes Magazine's annual Most Livable Cities list of 2010.
The Return of the "Local"
Stacy Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance summarizes some of the key positive trends in re-localization.
Portland's Empty Urban Renewal Area
Tax breaks and incentives helped spur a rash of development in Portland's South Waterfront district. But the development has struggled to lure residents.
Science City Approved in Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland, could become home to a new "science city" development that creates a hub of scientific research institutions and thousands of jobs.
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
