Community / Economic Development
Reforming Toward Prosperity: 2006 In Review
The Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program provides a review of its work in 2006, along with a list of the ten most noteworthy trends.
Do Poor Neighborhoods Keep People Poor?
Studies tracking subjects in HUD's Moving to Opportunity program have shown surprising results. While girls thrive and adults feel safer after moving to more affluent neighborhoods, boys actually fare worse. And incomes don't rise.
Light Rail An Expected Economic Boon In Oregon
A new light rail project connecting several towns to downtown Portland, Oregon, is highly expected to boost the area's economy. Transit-oriented housing and retail development is expected to contribute significantly.
Britain Cuts Poverty Using U.S.-Style Methods
Borrowing rhetoric and programmatic ideas from U.S. efforts, the Blair administration in Britaan has managed to cut the nation's child poverty rate by more than half. But anti-poverty policies have not been without their critics.
Austin To Consider New Fund To Save Downtown 'Mom and Pops'
With new development threatening quirky non-chain restaurants and other retail stores, the City of Austin wants to create a fund to support and attract certain types of downtown businesses.
When Going Gets Tough, Struggling Small Towns Get Creative
Across America, small towns are struggling to get by economically as many residents move out and businesses follow. But some small towns are employing some creative ideas -- from giant killer bee statues to storytelling festivals -- to stay afloat.
Ohio Tax-Sharing Program Looks To Boost Regional Economy
Representatives from seven Northeast Ohio counties are looking to form a regional partnership that would include tax-sharing, comprehensive regional planning and an equitable distribution of service and affordable housing.
A Sharp Population Decline Predicted For Japan
A new report has been released in Japan that projects a sharp drop in the country's population over the next 50 years. The report predicts that a declining birth rate will cause a decrease of more than 30% by 2055.
Smart Growth Success In Metro D.C.
Arlington, Virginia, and Silver Spring, Maryland, are two cities in the rapidly growing Washington D.C. metro area that are bucking the trend of handling growth by sprawl and moving towards Smart Growth policies.
Lowering the Bottom Line
From city, neighborhood, block to building-scales, Stephen Mouzon offers ideas to offset high housing costs and economic segregation.
Codes and Plans The Key To New Urbanism
Robert Steuteville comments on the progress The New Urbanism has made in implementing form-based codes and regional plans.
The Demise Of Miami's Public Housing Czar
Rene Rodriguez, the once highly lauded director of the Miami-Dade Housing Agency, stands accused of taking from the poor to serve developer interests, as well as his own.
The Modern Streetcar 'Hoax'?
Plans for modern streetcars are becoming more popular across the U.S. as one component of a revitalization plan. Randal O'Toole argues that the connection between streetcars and economic development is a hoax.
Austin, Texas OKs Stricter Guidelines For Big-Box Retail
New rules approved by the Austin City Council require that neighbors be notified of proposed big-box development and that a public hearing be held for the project.
Leasing Retail Space In Transit-Oriented Developments
Fruitvale Village in Oakland, California, provides a valuable case study for designing and leasing retail space in transit-oriented development projects.
Measuring Detroit's Vital Signs
Model D uses the new CEO's For Cities report to analyze Detroit's strengths (more than you might think) and its weaknesses.
Discussing Tourism, Planning And Sustainability
Michael Romanos, a distinguished professor of planning and economic development at the University of Cincinnati, sits down to talk about this experience working with cities and cultures around the world -- and in his own backyard.
Paris Says No More Clothing Stores On Champs Elysées
The city's commercial planning committee rejected an application from Swedish retailer H&M, saying the famous boulevard -- already home to major clothing retailers -- needs less shops and more cinemas, restaurants and cafes.
Friday Funny: Carolers Take On Gentrification
A group in Boston's Chinatown has written their own lyrics to some classic Christmas songs to protest the neighborhood's rapid gentrification.
Boutique Cities Aren't The Problem
Responding to Joel Kotkin's critique of cities who woo "creative class" over the middle class, Jerold Kayden, director of urban planning at Harvard Graduate School of Design, argues that revitalizing cities isn't as simple as copying sunbelt cities.
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
