Community / Economic Development
Stadiums Draining City Coffers
Sweetheart deals using public monies to fund stadiums have backfired across the country, causing more drain than gain.
Density Gone Bad
The Walled City of Kowloon, Hong Kong was demolished in 1993, but remains a symbol of what happens when a city evolves anarchically. It was known as 'Hak Nam', or 'City of Darkness.'
Expanding Collaboration Beyond Designers
This essay from Urban Omnibus calls for greater collaboration in urban design -- both amongst designers and architects, and with the surrounding community.
A Farm Future for Detroit?
Agricultural investors are buying up abandoned and empty land in Detroit -- making a big wager on the future of the city as a farm town.
Closed Auto Dealerships Find New Life
Closed car dealerships across the country are finding new life as yoga studios, classrooms, and day care centers.
The Economic Stimulus of Immigration Reform
Some say the nation's illegal immigrants are a missed opportunity that could help hurting regions to recover.
Disconnected from Society? Gated Communities: Their Lifestyle versus Urban Governance
Peer Smets (VU University Amsterdam) investigates the socio-cultural impacts of specific patterns of urban segregation (gated communities) on local urban politics and urban governance.
An Urban Santa Claus for New York
For 21 years this urban St. Nick has been delighting visitors to the South Street Seaport in New York.
Detroit Gets Funding for Light Rail
A public-private partnership has come together to fund a 3.4-mile light rail line through Detroit's commercial district, and convinced the Feds to bend the rules a little to bring it to reality.
'Mad Men' and Cities
Edward L. Glaeser uses the TV show Mad Men as a reflection on the vitality of cities as the center of idea-based industries like advertising and finance.
Tax District Approved for D.C. Metro Extension
Officials in Virginia have approved a special tax district to raise funding for the extension of the Washington D.C. Metro to Dulles International Airport.
Recession Pulls Transit Ridership Down
Transit ridership has dipped in 2009, according to a new report from the American Public Transportation Association. The recession and high unemployment rates are being blamed.
Tax on Billboards in Toronto
Amidst sweeping new regulations, the Toronto City Council has also added a new tax on billboards that could bring in millions of dollars to city coffers.
Civic Engagement Low in Arizona
A new study finds that while Arizona residents like where they live, they have low levels of civic engagement.
Libeskind Says Downturn is Right Time for Mega Projects
Architect Daniel Libeskind, designer of part of the new Las Vegas megaproject CityCenter, says now is the right time to be building big and bold projects.
Rebound Cities Offer Lessons for Detroit
This piece from The New Republic looks at the "urban disaster" of Detroit and compares it to other cities that have come on tough times in the past. Cities like Belfast and Turin offer examples of how Detroit can come back from the dead.
How Cities Are Using Stimulus Money
This infographic from GOOD tracks the top recipients of money from the federal stimulus package and how that money is being used.
All You Need is Louvre
A war-battered town in Frances will be the site of a new extension of the venerable Louvre museum, and locals hope the addition of the cultural site will revive the struggling city.
Privatization of City Services, or Tax for the Public Good?
That's the decision cities face, says columnist John Gurda, and his hope is that Americans will reinvest in the common good through effective taxation.
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
