Community / Economic Development
Emptiness in Beijing After Olympic Building Boom
The 2008 Summer Olympics brought a boom of construction to host city Beijing. But now, six months later, much of the office space built in the lead up to the games sits empty -- and likely will for years.
Bringing God to the Urbanites
As the trend towards urban living grows, churches are rethinking how to approach the urban and religious. This article from a Baptist newspaper suggests that the faithful have been reading and absorbing Richard Florida.
China's Urban-to-Rural Migration
The global economic downturn is hitting China's urban factories. Millions of migrant workers who had left their farms for factory work are now facing the possibility of making an urban-to-rural migration.
America's Municipal Meltdown
Towns and small cities dependent on one or two industries are reeling in the face of the economic downturn and major budget cuts. Can the nation's large cities be far behind?
The Small City: Reconsidered, And Ready to Be Sustainable
Catherine Tumber writes in defense of the small city, long neglected in policy and revitalization, but poised to be an excellent resource for sustainable living.
'The Ultimate User-Generated City'
A look inside the real slum featured in the movie "Slumdog Millionaire". The film won 8 Oscars including Best Picture.
Toronto Better Off As Recession Slows Growth
The recession and the end of the age of fast-growth will be a good thing for Toronto, argues Christopher Hume.
BIDs Bring Down Crime
A new study of Los Angeles Business Improvement Districts shows that private security provided by BIDs has reduced crime in these areas more than in the rest of the city.
Top 10 Cities for Economic Upheaval
Forbes releases its first ever list of "America's Fastest-Changing Cities", documenting the cities that have undergone the most drastic economic shifts.
Rethinking Vegas
The Las Vegas Weekly pulls together a panel of the city's leading urban thinkers to discuss the future of development in Las Vegas, now that the downturn has brought many projects to a standstill.
Stimulating The Economy- and Greenhouse Gases
In this NPR interview, Michael Replogle, Environmental Defense Fund's transportation director, points to a 12-lane highway that will be built with stimulus funds that he says exacerbates our dependence on foreign oil and global warming.
$8 Billion for High Speed Rail? How Did That Happen?
What were the inside politics that allowed for the largest investment in high speed rail in the U.S? Politico reports on the Obama-Emanuel workings of the rail investment in the stimulus package - and no, it wasn't based on the LA to Las Vegas route.
Coney Island Concepts Debated
The Municipal Art Society wants Coney Island to be bigger and more attractive, but the developer says time-share hotels and big boxes are the key the landmark's financial sustainability.
Beverly Hills, Too, Loses Sales Tax Revenue
Drops in tourism and luxury car sales are among the reasons why the ritziest cities in Southern California are not impervious to the recession.
Is Rural Internet Worth the Cost?
This piece from NPR looks at the debate over plans to use more than $7 billion from the stimulus plan to expand broadband Internet access in rural areas.
Woburn Superfund Site Almost Cleaned Up
Its history of pollution dates back to the Civil War, but 25 years after being declared a Superfund site, Woburn's Industri-plex in Massachusetts is just about cleaned up. A retail complex there has opened recently.
His Inn Rejected, A Developer Builds Affordable Housing
Matthew Klauer had intended to build a 44-room country inn on the 27-acre plot he purchased in Washington, Connecticut. Rejected by locals, Klauer is changing the plan and building 33 small homes using an affordable housing law.
Banks Exacerbating Foreclosure Crisis
Banks and financial institutions are making the foreclosure crisis worse, as lobbying efforts seek to block bankruptcy courts from gaining more power to reduce debt, according to this article from Der Spiegel.
Much Investment But Little Progress in Vancouver Slum
More than $1 billion has been invested in a Vancouver slum area, but little improvement can be seen, according to this investigation from The Globe and Mail.
Vegas Aching As Conventions Pull Out
Canceled conventions are causing economic pain in Las Vegas.
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
