Community / Economic Development
The Disappearing Urban Middle Class
As major cities around the country prosper, rich and poor neighborhoods are growing, while the middle class is increasingly left out.
Reinventing Cities With Transformative Investments
Bruce Katz, Vice President and Director of The Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, outlines how cities can harness demographic, cultural and economic changes to successfully transform themselves into viable places to live and work.
Las Vegas: The Destination For Aging Boomers
Nevada is experiencing an influx of new retirees and trying to cope with the surge of sexagenarians.
Bay Area Ends Free Transit Experiment
A popular and successful experiment to boost ridership on 26 Bay Area transit systems on designated "Spare the Air" days ends due to lack of funding, while some believe the plan may have been good for the local economy.
Small Towns Are Hubs For Innovators
A geographical study of the last four years of U.S. patents shows that innovation and inventions are happening in places big and small.
Vancouver To Get New Planning Director
The city, which has gained attention for its downtown development strategies, is getting a new planning boss.
Housing That's Green And Affordable
AIA "Show You're Green" Award Honors Innovators in Affordable Green Housing
Transit Village Approved Despite School Board Opposition
Sheridan Stationside Village, a $500 million, 40-acre project with a train station as a central component, gained preliminary approval in Hollywood, Florida, despite opposition from the County's school board and nearby residents.
San Diego Reaches Compromise On Inclusionary Zoning
The city will amend its three-year-old ordinance to settle a lawsuit brought by the local the Building Industry Association.
Record Stores Becoming A Relic Of The Past
With the arrival of the digital music age, record stores are disappearing at an alarming rate.
Is Duplicating New Orleans' French Quarter A Good Idea?
While some believe imitation to be the ultimate form of flattery, others describe it as a foolish attempt to replicate the past.
New York City's 10 Worst Landlords
NY's Village Voice publishes its non-scientific list of the 10 worst landlords in the city. The worst landlord will surprise you -- HUD. The story also includes "Apartments in Hell" -- photos from the very worst of the apartments.
Tiny Maryland Town Wants Smart Growth
With less than 300 residents, the town of Vienna, Maryland, has been grappling with the idea of growth for years. The town's mayor is now supporting a plan that will let the town grow, but not explode.
Albuquerque's New Approach To The Old Parking Meter
The city will gain new revenue from its attempt to stop employees from parking in front of downtown storefronts.
Memphis: Bringing Buildings To Life, Promoting Healthy Bodies
In this recent edition of Smart City, Memphis serves as a backdrop for creating historically themed entertainment districts and promoting healthy lifestyles through environmental change.
Uses Mix As University Splits
Concordia University, in Austin, Texas, is gearing up to move to a new location. But the 22 acres it's leaving behind won't be empty for long. A large-scale and high-rising pedestrian-friendly development is slated for the site.
A Turnaround For One Infamous L.A. Neighborhood
The revival of the Rampart District, a generation after it became one of the most violent districts in Los Angeles and seven years after its famous police scandal, shows how diverse are the factors that determine urban evolution.
Are Oakland's Schools Prepared For Downtown Housing Boom?
With tens of thousands of housing units springing up downtown and nearby classrooms already at capacity, the local school district is figuring out how to meet the coming demand.
Budgeting for Democracy
How residents of Lawrence, MA, are campaigning for greater resident control of public resources.
How Urban Universities Can Effect Global Change
Universities and colleges have the potential to drive massive urban change but are failing to address global challenges like climate change, according to a new study by researchers at the POLIS Project at the University of Victoria.
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
