Community / Economic Development
"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."
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Detroit to Close 77 City Parks
The City of Detroit has announced plans to close 77 city parks this summer in an effort to cut costs.
Small-Town Environmental Justice
This piece from Next American City looks at pollution in small town New Mexico and how court rulings have made it hard for a local organization -- and those in other communities -- to fight environmental battles.
China's Drive Toward Carbon Neutrality
By 2030, China will have 220 cities containing a population of 1 million or more, 24 of which will be megacities. The boom China is expected to go through, 'boggles the imagination of North Americans and Europeans.'
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
