Community / Economic Development
Reining In Tax Breaks For Developers
In Kansas City, Missouri, voters just elected their former city auditor as their new mayor. One of the unlikely campaign issues: the use of tax increment financing for developers.
Encouraging Downtown Growth Through A Live-Work District
In an effort to bring a renaissance to its downtown, a city in Idaho has approved creation of a live-work district which encourages development of properties where people can both live and work. City officials are hoping to attract local business.
Green-Collar Jobs Key to Nation's Economic & Ecological Health
Van Jones wants to make sure working-class and minority Americans can participate and benefit from a transition to a clean-energy economy.
Mass Public Library Closures Hit Oregon
Medford Oregon's newly opened public library is about to close its doors -- but it is just one of 15 across the region suffering from a loss of federal subsidies.
The Future of Cities As Told In Belgrade
Bruce Sterling gives an insightful tour around the city of Belgrade and explores the transformation and pressures brought about by globalization.
Suburbs Battle Blight Left By Foreclosures
Attempting to ward off a panic in the real estate market, cities in Ohio, Georgia, Illinois, and elsewhere are tapping into their coffers to eradicate foreclosure-related blight.
In Paris, the Birthplace of the Mall Attracts New Visitors
Built in 1820s and 1830s, the arcades in Paris were the first enclosed retail centers protecting shoppers from the elements as they browsed a variety of shops.
The World's Best Enterprise Zone
Halliburton is moving its headquarters to Dubai. Could Dubai, with its world-class infrastructure and business-friendly environment, become the world's preferred destination for multinational corporations?
Salt Lake City Downtown on the Rise
A new 40-year plan for downtown Salt Lake was unveiled by the City's Chamber of Commerce.
Meet Me, For Dinner, In Downtown St. Louis
The city's efforts at urban renewal has sparked a wave of new downtown residents along sophisticated restaurants to feed them.
Rezoning L.A.'s Industrial Bones
Developers want to transform downtown L.A.'s warehouses, factories, and grimy commercial buildings to accommodate live-work spaces. Planners and activists want to stay the course -- they say needed jobs are at stake.
Cabrini Green's Dying Breath
Though only a few towers remain from Chicago's notorious Cabrini Green housing project, new and old problems persist.
Superstar Cities
Big cities pack a punch equal to some national economies. The fraction of high-income families in superstar cities is 43 percent higher than in average cities, and those cities' share of poor families is 11 percent lower.
Rising Real Estate Prices Pushing Out Portland Small Businesses
The city's attractiveness has bred gentrification of many neighborhoods, and small businesses and creative types are fleeing for cheaper pastures.
Downtown Revitalization Reinvigorates Urban Congregations
The new wave of residents in downtown Orlando are helping to resurrect long-time churches that never fled to the suburbs.
Can A 'Zipper Zone' Reconnect Intown Memphis?
A top architect is advocating the use of zoning and urban design to transform a key urban thoroughfare into a "zipper" bringing together many of the city's top assets and neighborhoods.
Urban Village: The Game
A Wayne State University professor has created an urban planning simulation game that allows Detroiters to change a neighborhood along Mack Avenue, one of the city's major thoroughfares.
Is Downtown Renewal A 'Fool's Errand'?
The Economist reports on how San Jose, CA and Las Vegas, NV, have tried -- and failed -- to revive their downtowns.
The Nation's Up-And-Coming Neighborhoods
A list of neighborhoods heading towards gentrification in the nation's 10 largest cities aims to give homebuyers and investors a chance to get in before prices skyrocket.
Services Are Lacking For The Rural Poor
Protests and violence have erupted in China's rural areas, where many of the country's poorest people struggle to find jobs. The government has pledged to improve spending to help provide for the rural poor and improve access to public services.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
