Community / Economic Development

Giant 'supergraphics' drape over the sides of buildings in Los Angeles, usually advertising the latest blockbuster. Almost all of the signs are in violation of sign laws, and building inspectors think they may be fire hazards.

November 12, 2008 - The Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight

Cities facing budget cuts are cutting back on Christmas decorations and events. Has the Grinch stolen Christmas?

November 11, 2008 - The Wall St. Journal

The Old Town neighborhood of Bellingham, WA, is a hangout for the homeless. The city plans to revitalize the area with new condo buildings, but locals fear that new residents won't mix well with the current ones.

November 11, 2008 - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

As China embarks on the greatest rail-building investment since the U.S. built its transcontinental railroad, this article points to the urgent need to reform its state-controlled pricing system, both for freight and passengers, to make it effective.

November 11, 2008 - Business Week

In a professional critique of his master plan for the new town of Poundbury in England - one of the first new towns under Prince Charles' Foundation for the Built Environment - Leon Krier reveals that the plan was 'meant to be boring'.

November 10, 2008 - bd

Afraid of losing their investment in a down market, homeowners aren't moving out of their neighborhoods - even if their jobs do.

November 10, 2008 - The Christian Science Monitor

Joel Kotkin believes that the Obama victory is a sign that the 'creative class' - as detailed by Richard Florida - is coming into power, and that traditional business will be pushed aside.

November 7, 2008 - New Geography

As part of a series in Harper's on how to save capitalism, James K. Galbraith argues that America can fix many of its economic troubles with better planning -- urban planning, infrastructure planning, and financial planning.

November 6, 2008 - Harper's

The manufacturing town of Zaragoza, Spain is beginning to feel the crunch of the global economic slowdown, as a General Motors plant goes on a temporary hiatus.

November 6, 2008 - The New York Times

Thanks to the ambitious clean-up efforts of a few residents, a neglected, unofficial park on city land is now maintained daily and is on its way to being a greenway.

November 5, 2008 - The New York Times

Quirky, artistic bike racks are cropping up in cities around the country--a trend that benefits more than just cyclists.

November 5, 2008 - USA Today

The balloons have fallen, and the yard signs have been yanked up. The people have chosen, and in a historic win, Senator Barack Obama will soon be our next president. Now the hopes and promises of the campaign must harden into reality. Managing Editor Tim Halbur summarize what we can expect from an Obama presidency in regards to urban issues.

November 5, 2008 - Tim Halbur

Artist Edgar Arceneaux is the man behind the Watts Towers Project, a collaboration of international artists to make the poverty-stricken neighborhood facing on the famed folk art structure into works of art in their own right.

November 4, 2008 - Los Angeles Times

Entrepreneurs do better in smaller cities than larger ones, according to a new study by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

November 3, 2008 - Financial Post

While home values in the rest of the region decline, homes near Denver's light rail system have experienced an increase in values over the past two years.

November 3, 2008 - The Denver Post

November 3, 2008 - James Rojas

Stimulus packages are nothing more than an "economic sugar rush", according to columnist David Brooks. He argues that the country needs to create a larger-scale transportation-based infrastructure project to really bail out the economy.

November 3, 2008 - International Herald Tribune

Planners in Baltimore have unveiled a 30-year plan to remake its arts district into a mixed-use, transit-oriented, regional destination.

November 1, 2008 - The Baltimore Sun

Joel Kotkin derides urban boosters who have looked to external forces -- such as the mortgage meltdown -- to fuel an "urban renaissance", rather than looking at altering their own economic environments to be more attractive to investors.

October 31, 2008 - New Geography

A team of management consulting and foreign policy professionals has released a report analyzing which cities of the world are most global in reach, looking at business activity, human capital, and information exchange. New York comes out on top.

October 31, 2008 - Business Week