Community / Economic Development
From Cul-De-Sac to Commune
How do you turn a cul-de-sac into a commune? It's easier than you think, according to this piece from NPR.
GM Shake-Ups Frazzle Factory Town
Ypsilanti, Michigan, has been a GM factory town for more than 50 years. With the recent ouster of GM CEO Rick Wagoner by the federal government, many in the oft-shaken town are worried about its future.
Bronx Boomer
Big-name and big-budget projects in New York are basking in the spotlight, but smaller, community-based projects are also flourishing in the Bronx.
The City Makes a Comeback
Nicolai Ouroussof uses four cities--New Orleans, Los Angeles, The Bronx, and Buffalo--as case studies on how America's urban areas, long neglected, can once again be great.
Vancouver Revisits View Preservation Policy
Amid growing concern that downtown Vancouver's mandated view corridors cost too much development while making too little sense, its planners are once again debating their necessity.
Slow and Steady Survives the Recession
Pittsburgh's strategy of slow, steady growth has made it the front runner for sustainable building. The city now boasts the most LEED-certified square footage in the country.
Recession a Bittersweet Thing for Preservationists
Ironically, buildings unable to get funded for preservation due to a recession can also benefit from it: as development overall comes to a stop, so does the wrecking ball.
Exurbs, the New Rentals
In many areas, housing on the suburban fringe has gone rental. The shift indicates mobility on the part of renters who want to stay put, but could also be a precursor for a low-income future for the exurbs.
Can Detroit be Reinvented?
The near-bankruptcy of the American auto industry is just the latest in a long history of challenges Detroit has endured.
Miami Seeks Cheaper Finish to Gehry Project
Officials in Miami are looking to cancel out part of a contract with architect Frank Gehry for a park element to the new campus he's designed for the city's New World Symphony. The city wants to find a cheaper alternative, but critics are opposed.
Evolution in Industrial Towns
Amid the recession, industrial towns in the Rust Belt have been forced to evolve as jobs dry up. But this is nothing new for the region, where towns have been re-imagining their economies for decades. NPR reports.
A Blueprint For Making Cities Efficient, Sustainable And Livable
Nicolai Ouroussoff, architecture critic for The New York Times, argues that the time is right for a new vision of rebirth for America's ailing cities. He applies this new vision to the challenges of New Orleans, Los Angeles, the Bronx, and Buffalo.
Small Gardens Have Room to Grow
Small farms are getting some attention from the Obama Administration, but what's still holding them back is the proper infrastructure, according to this piece from Citiwire.
One City, Two New Stadia
Paul Goldberger looks at the two new baseball stadia opening in New York this Spring.
Ports Weather Recession as Investments Pour In
The entire country is in recession, but the nation's ports are experiencing a flood of interest from investors, according to this article from Reason.
Without Rail, Sydney Will Fall Behind Global Cities
Without a proper light rail system, Sydney will get left behind as other global cities progress into a diverse transit future, according to planning expert Peter Newman.
Facing Climate Change, U.N. To Propose Major Economic Reforms
In response to the widening threat of climate change, the United Nations will release a note of suggestions that propose a dramatic change in global economic relations, tarriffs, and taxes, according to this piece from Fox News.
Starting Up Small
Though typically centered in bigger cities, this piece from Business Week looks at the best small cities to locate startup businesses in every state.
Boston Neighborhoods to See Rail-Related Upgrades
New stations for the Fairmount rail line in Boston has made its surrounding neighborhoods targets for redevelopment by community organizations, which may rebuild up to a dozen properties.
HUD Homeownership Program Shows Promise
An ambitious HUD program promoting homeownership in troubled neighborhoods is, by some accounts, "one of the more intelligent things HUD has done in its history."
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
