Community / Economic Development
Californians To Vote On Property Rights Initiative In November
"Kelo" comes to California on Nov. 7 when voters will consider the "Protect Our Homes" initiative. Having qualified for the ballot, the initiative may sharply restrict local government's ability to regulate land use, similar to Oregon's Measure 37.
Eminent Domain Backlashes 'Aren't Strong Enough'
"Community rights" do not exist, and since legislators and much of the public have "gone squishy" over individual property rights, more action is needed to restrict eminent domain powers, according to this op-ed.
Why Community Gardens Matter
Are community gardens the antidote to America's health and urban problems?
Urbanizing Suburbia In Wisconsin
Mixed use developments are moving into the suburbs of Milwaukee as developers see the demand for combined uses spreading out from the city's core.
Dubai Spends Billions To Become Major Global Metropolis
Petro-dollars are fueling the tiny emirate's ambitions to become one of the world's top commercial and tourist destinations. Experts wonder if Dubai's blazing growth is sustainable.
Stockton Leaves Its Crime-Ridden Past Behind
Once rife with crime, Stockton is taking baby steps towards reducing the crime rate and attracting development to one of the Central Valley's burgeoning population centers.
UK Planning Bureaucracy Discourages Economic Development
England's planning policies may be reformed based on national versus local interests and needs, as the country attempts to secure deals with major international corporations.
The Resurgence Of Maine's Grittiest City
The twin cities of Lewiston and Auburn have long been known as Maine's worst urban area. Today, it is using art, history, diversity, and culture to carve out its niche as one of the state's funkiest and most historical urban areas.
Kentucky Developers Hatch Plan Against Sprawl
Kentucky, a state slow to adapt the concepts of New Urbanism, eyes several developments that are walkable and pedestrian friendly.
NJ Transit Villages Begin To Appear
Though not fully completed TODs, small pockets of development around transit have emerged with more to follow.
From Brooklyn: Open Letter to Frank Gehry
A novelist takes on Gehry's gargantuan Atlantic Yards project, proposed for Brooklyn.
Sharply Rising Rents In NYC Increase Burden For Most Households
Since 2002, the combination of falling incomes and rising rents has significantly increased the burden housing costs impose upon New York City's households, especially those earning less than 80% of the median income.
All Aboard the Atlantic City Casino Express
Long considered second rate versions of Las Vegas, Atlantic City casinos are looking to cash in on the high rollers from New York City by developing a direct train link to the Big Apple.
Comparing A Manhattan Landmark With L.A.'s Grand Avenue Project
The Frank Gehry-designed Grand Avenue project in downtown Los Angeles looks to a well-known Manhattan urban landmark for inspiration. Will it work?
The Next Ten U.S. Cities To Become Tech Hubs
With the cost of living so high, Silicon Valley, CA has become a victim of its own success. eWeek weighs in on the debate over which cities have the right ingredients to become the next tech hubs.
Penn Plans River Revitalization
The university is gearing up to develop a 40-acre plot of land next to the Schuylkill River with green space, housing, retail, and office spaces, with the aim of creating a lively city core, uniting Center City and West Philadelphia.
Vietnam's WTO Bid Will Bring Corporate Market
As the small South Asian country prepares to enter the World Trade Organization, economists predict a drastic change of pace in the locally-driven economy as corporate retail is bound to take over.
5,000 Public Housing Units To Be Razed In New Orleans
Despite criticism from low-income tenants, federal housing officials report that some 5,000 public housing units in Katrina-torn New Orleans will be razed and replaced with mixed-income housing.
Live From Dallas City Hall -- 'ForwardDallas!' Plan Faces Public
The Dallas Observer's city hall blog has been tracking -- literally by the minute -- the city's proposed comprehensive plan that's pushing mixed use development and meeting a local government's support, skepticism, and outright absenteeism.
Who Is 'At Fault' For Poverty? Big Government Programs Are Declining
In a wide-ranging article, the Wall Street Journal profiles America's ongoing "wars on poverty" over the decades, and details what the future might hold for anti-poverty programs. The "Great Society" efforts of the past seem to be over.
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
