Community / Economic Development
The World's Most Intelligent Communities?
For the second year, no U.S. city has made the list of the world's top Intelligent Communities, as select by the Intelligent Community Forum, a global think tank.
A Home In The 'Hood
Cheap rents draw many young people into less fashionable neighborhoods -- sparking gentrification -- though sometimes the trade-offs can be more than bargained for.
Rust Belt Community Adopts 'Smart Decline' Strategy
The City of Youngstown, Ohio has decided to give up on reviving its industrial era population, and set about the process of shrinking the city down to a size more in line with its economy.
Governments Subsidizing 'Server Farms'
Amid a flurry of subsidies in other states offered to companies like Microsoft and Yahoo!, Google plans to open a $600 million data center in Lenoir, North Carolina, population 17,000. The city will offer a generous tax break and a state grant.
Housing Boom Revitalizing Small Town America
As more seniors and empty nesters seek to reclaim the downtown lifestyle of their youth, small towns across America are experiencing a second chance at economic vitality.
Unified New Orleans Plan Gets Green Light
Recovery czar Ed Blakely lays out his five-point plan for the city's comeback as residents endorsed a plan for rebuilding the city's neighborhoods.
The Winding Road To Shipping Port Reuse
The long and convoluted tale of the demise of a container port and the planned rebirth of a piece of Brooklyn waterfront.
Comments On Social Interaction And Sprawl Report
In the face of an "inaccurate claim" that city neighbors are less friendly than their suburban counterpart, Robert Steuteville of New Urban News provides comments on the University of California study "Social Interaction and Urban Sprawl".
Town's Recreation Tourism Bid May Sacrifice Environment
The town of Ogden, Utah, hopes to beef up its economy by promoting itself as an outdoor recreation capital. But some in the community fear that the tourism campaign may further encourage exploitation of the area's decreasingly pristine environment.
Adult Business Moves Into Historic Building To Make Love Not War
The old San Francisco Armory, which has sat empty for more than three decades in city's Mission district, has found a new use, but local residents aren't exactly excited about this latest chapter of the neighborhood's gentrification.
Proposed Florida Panhandle Airport Causing Controversy
Supporters of the proposed $300 million Panama City-Bay County International Airport -- including the well-heeled St. Joe company -- talk of economic development. Opponents call the facility the "Airport to Nowhere."
Dracula's Castle For Sale
The family in Bucharest, Romania that owns Bran Castle -- famous for its connection to the 15th century medieval ruler who inspired "Dracula" -- plans to sell the fortress to local authorities for $78 million.
Vancouver's 'Living First' Policy Has Put Business Last
While Vancouver's downtown residential population has exploded, the housing boom has crowded out commercial office space, to the detriment of the city's economy.
Rural Georgia Town Highlights Complexities Of Illegal Immigration Issue
After a federal raid cost a chicken processing plant in Stillmore, Georgia, 75 percent of its mostly Hispanic 900-member work force, company officials hired locals -- mostly African-American -- to take their place. Then things got interesting.
Chain Stores Invade New York, Not San Francisco
Chain stores have invaded Manhattan and now look to open in other New York City neighborhoods. Meanwhile, San Francisco's planning commission has the power to reject chain retail and restaurants. And they have been using that power.
Developer Demands Doubling Height For Supermarket Deal
East Palo Alto may be one of the few U.S cities of 30,000 residents lacking a supermarket. Now this 23-year-old city is close to getting one on a 6-acre vacant lot, but increased land costs forced the new developer to renegotiate the prior plan.
Can Google Change One Small Town's Fortunes?
State and local officials are offering $100 million dollars in tax breaks to the Internet company should it locate a new facility in Lenoir, North Carolina. Yet some wonder if the generosity will pay off for the town.
A New Plaza For Downtown Raleigh
The central location and the expanse of space to facilitate a variety of different uses are getting people excited about the newly proposed City Plaza in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, despite the fact that it will cut through a well-used street.
On Farmers' Markets And Public Space
In many urban areas, farmers' markets provide both a connection to nature and a sense of community.
New Vision For D.C. Avenue Down On Its Luck
A wave of new development has finally come to gritty Georgia Avenue, and though many are pleased with the sorely needed investment, gentrification worries abound.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
