Community / Economic Development
St. Louis Comes Back
Despite predictions that the city was dying, St. Louis has just won an "All-America City" award. Neal Peirce looks at how the city turned itself around.
Presidential Candidate Calls on Mayors to Embrace Urban Growth
Building a strong country is reliant on strong urban regions, according to Senator Barack Obama, who recently spoke with a conference of U.S. mayors about the importance of urban growth. Federal funding, however, will be limited, he said.
Why Isn't Our Campus Downtown?
Bruce Fisher laments Buffalo's decades-old decision to put their university campus outside of town, missing the lesson that "eds and meds" are central to the prosperity of a city.
Pawnshops 'Inundated', But Facing Hard Times
With gas and food prices climbing to unprecedented levels, many families are turning to pawnshops to cover their bills. Unfortunately, pickups are down and people aren't buying, putting smaller operations at risk of closure.
'Alarming' Increases In Shopping Center Vacancies
Empty retail space increased dramatically over the last six months, according to data compiled by commercial real estate brokers and investment advisors.
An Italian View of U.S. Planning
An Italian city planner visits San Diego to analyze sprawl-fighting techniques first-hand.
Hong Kong's Challenges
Dwell talks with a prolific Hong Kong architect about his city and its development.
The Flight Back from the Burbs
Bay Area tech companies are increasingly opening offices in downtown San Francisco, a significant change from the development pattern of the last ten years.
The Incredible Shrinking Home
A new AIA report shows that new homes under construction are getting smaller in response to market forces.
Pushing for Adaptive Reuse in Detroit
Urban decay blankets much of downtown Detroit. More and more people are pushing for adaptive reuse of the aging and underused buildings, but some city policies may get in the way.
On the Verge of Replacement, 'Geographical Community' Survives
The rise in virtual connections and Internet-based communities had many worried that traditional community interaction was dying out. Governing's Alan Ehrenhalt argues it hasn't yet, and probably won't.
Creating a Place for Public Debate of City Planning and Design
Baltimore considers following in the footsteps of Paris, San Francisco and Copenhagen by opening a "design center", a place for people to gather and debate the design of their city.
Emptying Suburbs Sign of Things to Come
CNN reports on the growing chaos in suburbs emptied by the mortgage crisis, and what they tell us about the future of the American dream.
The Gentrification of Harlem
From Home Depot to high-rise office buildings, Harlem's upward trend is producing "root shock," causing some residents to believe it is only a matter of time before they are displaced.
Disobedient Architect to Be Banned from Brooklyn
Brooklyn architect Robert M. Scarano Jr. has crossed Brooklyn's zoning laws too many times, and the city is making the case to ban him from submitting any plans. In the worst case, he put two apartment buildings in a location greenlighted for one.
Parks Seen as Key to Downtown's Raleigh's Future
Planners and community leaders in Raleigh, North Carolina are looking to find ways to bring more residents to the city's struggling downtown. Many say building more parks and playgrounds will be crucial to attracting new residents.
Honolulu Eyes Light Rail As Savior of Local Economy
With plans for a $4 billion light rail system, the city of Honolulu is hoping to boost its economy and create more jobs by contracting a number of smaller firms to do the project's work instead of one big firm.
G is for Grocery
The City of Palo Alto, CA concludes that grocery stores are a lynchpin of walkable neighborhoods, and votes to establish new "grocery" zoning districts.
Study Calls for Better Cooperation Between Feds and Metropolises
The federal government needs to recognize the economic power of the country's metropolises and work with them to create successful regions, according to a recent study from the Brookings Institution.
Solar Home Overshadowed by New Construction: Is There a 'Right to Light'?
Planners in Saskatchewan, Canada encouraged the Schewes to build solar panels on their roof and go off the grid. Then they okayed a home next door that overshadowed the Schewes. Do homeowners have a 'right to light'?
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
