Community / Economic Development
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.
Milwaukee Launches Innovative Economic Development Website
The new site, the latest in a growing number of online tools used to cultivate investment, allows companies to research demographics, find vacant parcels, and identify business assistance programs.
Bringing The 'Community' Into The Community Benefits Agreement Process
In a test case that could serve as an organizing model for other communities, the non-profit West Harlem Local Development Corporation has been created specifically to negotiate with Columbia University as it plans a major campus expansion.
A&P, Wal-Mart, And The American Consumer Identity
Sixty years ago, chains like A&P and Woolworth transformed American citizens into consumers. Shedding this consumer identity is key to turning back the big-box tide, says Stacy Mitchell, the author of a recent book on mega-retailers.
Taking Back Farmland In Brazil
As poverty increases in Brazil and small farmers are pushed off of their lands into the overcrowded city's and ghettos, some groups are doing whatever it takes to re-distribute farmland to the poor.
Best Ideas Of 2006 Features Innovations In Planning
Urban design, housing for homeless people, and planning for decreased population are highlighted in the New York Times Magazine's annual survey of innovative ideas.
Cohousing Projects Increasing Nationwide
Land has been purchased for what will be Oakland's fourth cohousing project, a collection of about 33 housing units with an underlying purpose of cooperation and community. Similar community housing projects are cropping up across the country.
River Restoration Begins In California
In California, the largest river restoration project in the West has begun as water formerly directed from the Owens River to the Los Angeles Aqueduct is rerouted along 62 miles of its original path to Owens Lake in Central California.
A Career In Brownfields
A innovative training program in Boston is helping people get better jobs cleaning up the environment.
Has Bringing Housing To Downtown Oakland Hurt The City?
Outgoing Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown's plan to add 10,000 residents to its downtown hasn't succeeded in its original goal -- to boost the city's revenue from sales taxes.
Residents Team Up To Prevent Unwanted Zoning Change
A block of neighborhood-minded Baltimore residents has pressured the city's zoning board to reject a plan to create a community service center nearby that offers job training and AIDS counseling, despite the area's need for economic investment.
Do-It-Yourself Urban Planning
A new urban design center in St. Paul, Minnesota, allows residents to try their hand at city planning in hopes of educating the public about managing growth and development.
Economic Development Incentives Aren't City Friendly In Michigan
A new report concludes that economic incentives provided by the State of Michigan to foster job growth hurt cities by creating jobs in outlying areas.
Can Oakland Lead The Green Economy?
Oakland's new progressive mayor and the Oakland Apollo Alliance are working to turn that city's fortunes around through "green collar" jobs and "green enterprise zones".
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
