Community / Economic Development

Ideas to Transform India's Cities

Scholars from the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad discuss how to remake the country's urban areas into sources of economic prosperity.

March 30, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal

Utah Hopes to Send Message With Eminent Domain Bills

Utah Governor Gary Herbert has approved two eminent domain bills that seek to give the state rights to seize property now owned by the federal government. Officials concede the fight will be hard to win.

March 30, 2010 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Seeking a Green Legacy in South Korea

South Korean government officials are increasingly focusing on green projects to improve their cities' sustainability -- and create legacies for politicians.

March 29, 2010 - The New York Times

Making Planning More Accessible

Planners in Cary, North Carolina were tasked by the mayor to make their complex planning process more accessible.

March 29, 2010 - Tim Halbur

New Obama Plan to Save Homeowners from Foreclosure

The new plan includes controversial ideas like moving underwater homeowners to government-backed FHA loans and giving grace periods to unemployed owners.

March 27, 2010 - The Wall St. Journal

Do Housing Tax Credits Create Jobs?

With Gov. Schwarzenegger promising $200 million in tax credits to homebuyers, Paul Shigley says it's worth looking closely at the promises that such credits create new jobs and bolster the economy.

March 26, 2010 - California Planning & Development Report

Detroit Mayor Makes Big Plans in State of City Speech

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing recently delivered his first "state of the city" speech since taking office, and included a broad list of proposals that could bring about a widespread revisioning of the struggling city.

March 25, 2010 - The Detroit News

Portland's New Complex Aims At Curing Homelessness

The city of Portland is moving ahead with a $47 million shelter and services project known as the Resource Access Center. It's the largest efforts underway to solve the city's notorious homelessness problem.

March 25, 2010 - The New York Times

Hosting Olympics, But At What Cost?

The Olympics can be a huge boon for cities -- in terms of international attention, physical legacies and infrastructural development. But they can also be a huge risk. This piece from Finance and Development looks at the pros and cons.

March 24, 2010 - Finance and Development

Where Americans Will Be in 2050

Where will Americans live? Everywhere. The third article in a three-part series based on Joel Kotkin's new book, "The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050," looks at where Americans will live and how our communities will grow to accommodate them.

March 23, 2010 - AOL News

City Stunts Try to Lure Fiber Optic Internet

A handful of American cities are hoping to become testing grounds for a new fiber optic Internet connection being offered by Google. To catch the company's eye, many of these cities are making concerted -- and sometimes audacious -- efforts.

March 23, 2010 - NPR

How the Recession is Downsizing Local Government

Budget cuts are dramatically reshaping many local governments. This piece from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution looks at how the recession will restructure governments in the Atlanta area.

March 23, 2010 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Big Box Casino On Its Way To Philadelphia

The new casino rising along Philadelphia's Delaware River is likely to be little more than a drab Big Box with gambling inside, according to this review from Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron.

March 23, 2010 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

How Much Would You Pay?

Jon Hockenyos makes a radical proposal that cities should establish their own terms for how much local property is worth, free of "market value", in order to unstick frozen property markets.

March 20, 2010 - Citiwire.net

Embracing Entrepreneurship to Revive Cleveland

Bringing economic vitality back to Cleveland requires a broad embrace of policies that encourage entrepreneurship, according to Reason's Sam Staley.

March 20, 2010 - Reason

Replacing Empty Storefronts With Fake Ones

With small businesses closing shop and empty stores lining its main street, the British borough of North Tyneside is creating fake storefronts to create the appearance of a lively shopping area.

March 20, 2010 - BBC

Forecasting the New American Economy

In this podcast, Next American City talks with the Brookings Institution's Bruce Katz about the emerging shape of the new American economy.

March 20, 2010 - Next American City

Detroit Makes Big Hire to Aid Downsizing

Urban planning expert Toni Griffin has been recruited to help Detroit downsize and recover -- thanks to an infusion of money from a private philanthropic foundation.

March 19, 2010 - Time

Feeding the Hungry from the Backyard

One solution to urban food security is surprisingly simple: gathering fruit from backyard trees.

March 19, 2010 - AlterNet

The Challenges of Shrinking Cities

Mayor Bing of Detroit has announced an intention to "right-size" the city. Ed Glaeser talks about what that might mean.

March 18, 2010 - NYTimes Economix Blog

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.

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.