Community / Economic Development
Market Crash Leaves L.A. Flush With High-Priced Plots
Bought at the height of the real estate market and intended for conversion into high-priced luxury apartment buildings, empty plots of land are littered throughout Los Angeles, undeveloped and quietly back on the market at greatly reduced prices.
Public Space Creation in Three Midwestern Cities
This piece from The Architect's Newspaper takes a look at three midwestern cities that have recently benefited from outside investments in their urban centers.
The Suburb That Never Was
California City, California was designed to be the state's next great metropolis. But today it's hardly more than a dream. Geoff Manaugh reports on this modern-day ghost town.
Rethinking Rural Development
Silos and smokestacks are the way of the past for rural area development, according to economist Mark Drabenstott who offers a new idea for bringing economic activity to rural places.
Communicating Codes Through Song
When working a charrette in Jamaica, architect Steve Mouzon inadvertently inspired local children to set a recommendation for urban farming to song.
Immigrants Play Key Role In Economic Vitality Of Metro Areas
While a new analysis of census data revealed the importance of immigrants to regions and refuted commonly held beliefs, it revealed a clear preference for high-skilled immigrants which in turn is influencing federal legislation.
The Perfect Neighborhood
What makes a model neighborhood? GOOD Magazine devotes an issue to the topic, beginning with a list of traits that make a neighborhood great.
Underground Business District
The Atlantic guides a tour through the underground business zone of SubTropolis, a 5-million-square-foot complex 100 feet below Kansas City, Missouri.
New Twist on Eminent Domain
Boston uses the threat of eminent domain to force a developer to build on a site that's become an eyesore.
Productivity Through Density
People naturally want to be near each other, which some suggest is one explanation for the increasing urbanization and densification of the world. Edward L. Glaeser argues that the information-based economy will push that trend even further.
Salt Lake Suburb Pins Hopes On Downtown Revival
South Salt Lake is seeking to revive itself economically by creating a downtown entertainment district connected by a streetcar.
Binghamton's "War Counter" to Highlight City's Budget Woes
Jo Comerford of the National Priorities Project reports on how one New York state mayor is addressing the interconnections between municipal budget shortfalls and federal spending on warfare.
New York City Takes Over Governor's Island
The City has reached a deal to take over 172-acres of undeveloped land from the State, and redevelopment possibilities are flooding in - public park, high school, commercial buildings, NYU satellite campus, and more.
Solution for Shrinking Cities: Art and Parks
After unification, many East German towns began losing jobs and population. In 2003, the government formed a group to study how these cities could best recover. The results are in.
Cities, States Slashing Public Library Funding
States and cities across the U.S. are cutting public library funding at a time when people are relying on them more than ever, writes Art Brodsky.
Killing the Authenticity You Love
The search for authenticity lead Generation Xers to move into gritty, urban environments that their overwhelming numbers managed to kill, says Adam Mayer in a review of Sharon Zukin's book Naked City.
Embracing Baltimore's Existing Arts Districts, Not Creating New Ones
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake wants to turn the city's west side into an arts district. This article from The Baltimore Sun argues that the city already has enough arts districts and should focus efforts on those.
The Growing Impact of Brookings' Bruce Katz
This cover piece from Next American City profiles Bruce Katz, founding director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, who the magazine calls the "oracle of urban policy".
Detroit Cosmopolitanism: An Open Letter to a Ballplayer's Skeptical Wife
When baseball player Johnny Damon signed a contract to play for the Detroit Tigers, his wife voiced concerns about the city not being cosmopolitan enough. This open letter to Mrs. Damon argues that the city has more going for it than many assume.
Haiti Needs Old Urbanism, Not New
Plans for rebuilding Haiti have a strikingly New Urbanist tinge. But some say Haiti's economic situation isn't ready for a New Urbanist approach.
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
