Community / Economic Development
Progress Slow For San Diego's 'City of Villages' Plan
The city's lauded framework plan for implementing smart growth practices has failed to deliver on its promises, say some residents and experts.
Will Atlanta's Beltline Be Solely For The Wealthy?
A new study shows that property values have spiked around the proposed parkway, threatening to price lower-income residents out of their homes.
Low-Income Artist Housing
Washington D.C.'s Cultural Development Corporation is pushing condo conversions to create affordable housing for low-income artists.
World's Financial Centers Thrive Despite Tech Boom
Predictions that our high-tech age of connectivity and wire-free communications would drain big cities, the world's financial centers remain heavily populated and their economies are thriving.
World Ag At Risk From Global Warming
World agricultural productivity could decline between 3-16% by 2080. Developing countries will experience the biggest drop.
Pasadena: The Great Planning Success Story
In a ranking of California's best and worst mid-sized city downtowns, California Planning & Development Report concluded that Pasadena's reputation is well-earned. Many say the transformation has been miraculous -- and it continues today.
Turning A City Green
A small town in England has been able to embrace the participation and enthusiasm of many of its 1,000 residents in an effort to become the first carbon-neutral village in the UK.
Dam Plan Threatens Historic Turkish City
Plans to build a dam will bring much-needed economic development to a struggling Turkish region, but will also destroy ancient caves, mosques, and buildings carved into sandstone canyons along the Tigris River.
Highway Expansion Plans Justified By Economic Benefits
Plans to widen a highway in British Columbia are being justified by a projection of nearly $4 billion in economic development. Proponents are allaying air quality concerns, arguing that auto emission controls will improve enough to reduce any impact.
Housing Versus Jobs and Tax Revenue In San Jose
Planners in San Jose, California, say the massive conversion of industrial lands is eroding the city's jobs and tax Base. Housing developers disagree.
L.A. May Place Moratorium On Fast Food
The Los Angeles City Council will consider a moratorium on fast-food restaurants in South L.A., a part of the city with high rates of obesity and below-average access to grocery stores.
Homeless Shelter Plan Drives Away Local Businesses
In downtown Boise, recently announced plans to construct a homeless shelter have many local business owners upset and making arrangements to move out of the area. The city, however, is defending its decision to approve the shelter.
Buffalo Repopulation Plan Irks Cattle Ranchers
Plans to buy up land in the Great Plains and repopulate them with pre-settlement species such as buffalo have many cattle ranchers on edge. But proponents say these species are meant to be there -- in both an economical and and ecological sense.
The Bronx Is Burning Over Yankee Stadium Parking
Residents of the South Bronx are opposed to new parking garages for Yankee Stadium, which will be subsidized with tax-exempt bonds issued by New York City.
Amid Growth, Vancouver Survives
The growth of Vancouver has far surpassed what planners projected half a century ago. And though some problems have followed, the region's growth hasn't wrought the city's downfall, as many expected.
Start-Ups Sprout On Wal-Mart's Green Path
Wal-Mart's efforts to reduce waste and operate in an environmentally-friendly manner has fueled a green business boom in an Arkansas town near the corporation's headquarters.
Billboard Ban Will Hurt Small Business
This column criticizes the recently-passed Kansas City ordinance that restricts billboard advertising within the city, claiming it will disproportionately harm local small businesses that are already having trouble getting noticed.
Will 'Cool' Cities Rule The Economy?
Proponents of the "creative class" theory argue that hip cities will be the most successful because they lure highly educated professionals who are essential in today's economy. But detractors say this is simply an argument for bread and circuses.
Delays Plague Controversial Atlantic Yards Project
Protests, lawsuits, and accidents have caused big delays in the construction of the controversial Atlantic Yards mixed use project in Brooklyn, New York. But the developers say the project will be completed on time.
Landowner To Fight Big-Box Moratorium
A landowner in suburban Atlanta who had planned to sell his property to Wal-Mart is now suing the city of Duluth over a big-box moratorium that he claims is not in the best interest of the city.
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
