Community / Economic Development

Amazon warehouse in Spokane, Washington

Amazon Plans for More Massive Warehouses

The company is building its biggest-ever distribution centers in New York, Colorado, and California.

August 2, 2022 - FreightWaves

Brooklyn, New York City

What Is Redevelopment?

Redevelopment includes all development projects that build new structures and land uses on a previously developed site. Understanding the nuances of redevelopment is critical for understanding the ways cities and communities change.

July 29, 2022 - James Brasuell

Henan

Clean Air Programs Increase Property Values, Study Says

What’s good for the planet is good for the economy, according to a recent study published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

July 28, 2022 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Gas Pumps

Is $7 a Gallon for Gas on the Horizon?

Global oil prices may skyrocket when the European Union, which receives about one third of its oil from Russia, enacts a partial ban on importing Russian oil at the end of the year to stop financing Russia's war in Ukraine.

July 28, 2022 - The New York Times

Stay-at-Home Orders

A ‘Public Realm Action Plan’ Charts San Francisco’s Post-Covid Comeback

A nonprofit business group released a plan to trigger the post-pandemic revitalization of Downtown San Francisco by reclaiming public space for human scale activity. But is an improved public realm sufficient to meet the challenge?

July 25, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

Line of vacant small storefronts with For Sale signs in Merrill, Oregon

The Racial Gap in Commercial Real Estate Ownership

Just three percent of Black households own commercial real estate, making it more difficult for Black entrepreneurs to establish businesses and build wealth.

July 20, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Storefront window for Gorillas fast-delivery store in New York City "Store to door in 10 min!"

New York Councilmembers Seek Action Against Cashless ‘Fast-Delivery’ Stores

After the city instituted a ban on cashless businesses, calling the model discriminatory against poor New Yorkers who rely on cash transactions, a study found that more than 80 percent of new fast-delivery stores don’t accept cash.

July 13, 2022 - Gothamist

A map of the under-construction Tren Maya that passes through several locations on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Watch: Mexico’s $10 Billion Rail Line Through the Jungle

YouTube channel B1M takes a trip to the Yucatan Peninsula to examine the risks and the opportunities of Tren Maya—a $10 billion railway under construction to connect the south and southeast corners of the country to tourist destinations.

July 11, 2022 - B1M

Children learning to skateboard

Advancing Play Equity Through Mobile Recreation

The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is offering the Park on the Move program to enable more youth in park-poor communities to play and stay active.

July 11, 2022 - Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation

Billboard that says "Gentrification Sucks!" in Los Angeles, California

Who’s To Blame for Gentrification?

Most likely, no one in particular—but policy changes can alleviate the housing shortage and prevent displacement.

July 7, 2022 - Governing

Vacant boarded-up storefronts along Powell Street in San Francisco, California.

Bay Area Pop-Ups Aim To Activate Vacant Storefronts

As commercial storefronts experience high vacancy rates, cities like Oakland and San Francisco are making concerted efforts to support temporary tenants, public art installations, and small entrepreneurs that can revitalize abandoned spaces.

July 7, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

Community garden in Chicago, Illinois with view of city skyline

How Abandoned Properties Can Be Used for Redevelopment

Abandoned properties can be a burden on a community, bringing everything from negative curb appeal to an increase in crime. Using these properties for positive community development can kill two birds with one stone.

July 7, 2022 - Devin Partida

Woman with bicycle on train platform

The Business Case for Multimodal Transportation Planning

Travel demands are changing and so should planning. There are good reasons for communities to spend less on automobile facilities and more on walking, bicycling, and public transit. Let’s examine why.

July 6, 2022 - Todd Litman

Office Park

A New Life for the Suburban Office Park?

With more and more employers downsizing and moving to areas with more urban amenities, large suburban office parks offer an opportunity for increased density and mixed-use development.

July 6, 2022 - The New York Times

Person standing under sign that says "Moab Made" in downtown Moab, Utah.

Initiative Brings Capacity Building to Booming Rural Towns

A research and capacity building initiative based at Utah State University seeks to help fast-growing tourist meccas in the West plan for smart growth.

July 4, 2022 - High Country News

The Interstate 10 freeway cuts through residential neighborhoods in the city of Alhambra. Downtown Los Angeles is visible in the background,

$1 Billion ‘Reconnecting Communities’ Program Accepting Applications to Repair Damage of Racist Transportation Planning

The Biden administration has talked about the need to repair the damages of a racist history of transportation planning in the United States. The time has finally come to put their money where their mouth is.

July 4, 2022 - U.S. Department Of Transportation

Rosa Parks

Obama on the Record Against Sprawl, Inequality by Design

Former President Barack Obama was at the AIA’s national conference in Chicago earlier this month. His presentation included some strong words about the effects of sprawl.

June 30, 2022 - Dezeen

Nighttime view of empty gas station

Biden Proposes Gas Tax Holiday to Reduce Gas Prices

President Biden asked Congress on June 22 to suspend federal fuel taxes, unchanged since 1993, for three months to provide motorists 'relief' at the pump. Additionally, he asked states to follow suit and for oil companies to increase refining.

June 30, 2022 - Smart Cities Dive

Raleigh

Raleigh Experiencing Dramatic Growth

The North Carolina capital is reinventing itself as a research and tech hub, attracting major employers and investment along the way.

June 29, 2022 - Commercial Observer

A Gold Line AnsaldoBreda P2550 train enters Mission Station in South Pasadena on February 25, 2012.

Land Banking to Prevent Transit-Oriented Displacement in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will implement a new land banking program to mitigate gentrification and displacement around future transit lines.

June 28, 2022 - Los Angeles Daily News

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.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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.