Community / Economic Development
Columnist Neal Peirce Discusses the Past and Future of the Metropolis
Planetizen talks with journalist and syndicated columnist Neal Peirce about the trends he's seen over the course of his career and the future of America's metropolitan regions.
Does HUD Need To Be Modernized?
Professor Sudhir Venkatesh of Columbia believe it is time for HUD to be replaced by a more nimble agency capable of responding to the 21st century city.
Not As Poor As You Think
This segment from NPR looks at results from a new study that show many poor neighborhoods actually have the potential for vibrant economies.
Starbucks Closing Hundreds of Stores
After seemingly endless expansion, Starbucks begins closing some 600 stores, prompting a "save Starbucks" campaign.
Moscow Tops List of World's Most Expensive Cities
Moscow tops an annual ranking of the world's most expensive cities. The survey examines housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment for corporations and government agencies determining living costs for expats.
Least Economically Developed: Fresno
This segment from NPR looks at the economy of the central California city of Fresno, which has been named the least economically developed part of the country by a recent report.
'Suburban Refugees' Could Mean Trouble For Cities
The economic decline of the suburbs could flood cities like New York with "suburban economic refugees". This commentary from the New York Post warns that this is bad news for cities.
Stadium Development Could Hurt More Than Help
New data on stadium development show that economic benefits fall way short of public investment.
Saving Local Businesses from Rising Rents and Upscaling Neighborhoods
New York City is looking at ways to keep beloved local stores from being forced out by high-end shops and restaurants in up-and-coming neighborhoods such as lower Ninth Avenue near the Meatpacking District.
A Car-Free Avenue Grows in Brooklyn
New York City's car-free "Summer Streets" events are proving to be popular. A three-and-a-half minute video offers a look at Saturday's Williamsburg Walks event on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn.
Black Flight or White Gentrification?
The Wall Street Journal reports that middle-class African-Americans are leaving America's major cities in droves, leaving remaining African-American cultural and religious institutions struggling to adjust to this new demographic reality.
As Venues Sit Unused, Athens Feels Olympic Remorse
Four years after it hosted the Summer Olympics, Athens is questioning whether the $15 billion investment in venues that now largely sit unused was really worth it.
Neighbors Complain Plan is 'Too Urban'
Residents of Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood are complaining about plans to redevelop nearby Fort Lawton which includes housing for seniors and homeless.
Florida City Fights Off Cookie-Cutter Development
Residents of Florida's Everglades City have teamed up to preserve their local character and keep cookie-cutter development out.
County Plans to End Homelessness in 10 Years
Nassau County, NY has released a plan to end homelessness using strategies such as developing a database to track homeless people, assist people at risk for homelessness with landlord/mortgage issues, and build significant new affordable housing.
Is Houston A Better Place to Live Than New York?
The New York Sun looks west and finds a lot to love in Houston's cars, growth, and pro-development policies.
The Role of the Government in Home Loans
The Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae crisis is resurrecting the debate over the role the federal government should play in the housing market.
Miamians Protest $3 Billion Mega-Plan
The City of Miami is pushing a new 'mega-plan' that rolls a stadium, tunnel, public park, trolley system, and bailout into one $3 billion dollar deal. Miamians, including local car dealer Norman Braman, are pushing back.
Evictions Continue As Beijing Prepares for Olympics
With less than a month left before the start of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, residents in the Chinese metropolis are still being evicted to make way for event-related construction.
Brewer Sale Worries St. Louis Residents
St. Louis is a Budweiser town. But the recent announcement that brewer Anheuser-Busch had been bought out by a Belgian brewer has many in the city worried about the future of their most famous and most unifying resident.
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
