Community / Economic Development

Mississippi's Governor Calls On Planners

NPR features an interview with Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour on the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast.

October 16, 2005 - National Public Radio

Katrina's Impact May Accelerate Economic Changes

Rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina may not take as long as some predict.

October 15, 2005 - Abhijeet Chavan

As Waters Recede, Tourists Trickle Back

New Orleans' $13.5 billion tourism industry is restarting as the city lays plans to kick-start it.

October 15, 2005 - The Christian Science Monitor

Reversing The Ravages Of Urban Renewal

One of the most livable places in the U.S. tries to revitalize its downtown.

October 15, 2005 - The New York Times

Supporting A More Active Lifestyle

The Albuquerque Alliance for Active Living encourages proper pedestrian planning for creating more livable communities.

October 14, 2005 - Albuquerque Journal

Rebuilding A 'New Urbanist' Coastal Mississippi

Community design costs, big-box retailers, mobile homes, and casinos are just a few of the many challenges that await the new urbanists who were selected to lead the rebuilding of the Missippi gulf coast.

October 13, 2005 - USA Today

Visioning A Sustainable Gulf Coast

There's a rare opportunity to rebuild the Gulf Coast region in such a way that it will succeed on all levels -- but the right plans have to be in place before building begins.

October 12, 2005 - The Houston Chronicle

Learning From Sweden's Eco-municipalities

North Americans learn sustainability methods and models from Sweden's eco-municipalities which use a democratic planning process called the Natural Step framework.

October 12, 2005 - Sustainable Business

China To Scrap 'Growth At Any Cost' Plan

Chinese government officials are developing the the '11th Five-Year Plan' to redirect policy from growth for growth's sake to a more sustainable model that would emphasize an 'all-around well-off society'.

October 8, 2005 - Environmental News Network

McDonalds vs Starbucks: Giants Battle For Mall Space

Why is McDonalds is trying to block Starbucks from moving into the Liberty Square shopping center in Wauconda, IL?

October 7, 2005 - The Chicago Tribune

Duany To Lead New Urbanists' Largest Planning Effort

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is welcoming new urbanist professionals from across the nation to an unprecedented "mega-charrette" for rebuilding many of the hardest-hit communities along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

October 7, 2005 - New Urban News

School Choice And Sprawl

As urban schools decline, those who can afford it head for ever-expanding, land-consuming 'burbs. The flight of the affluent drains urban schools of funding. We can break the cycle, says Dan Akst.

October 7, 2005 - Grist Magazine

Trapped By Gridlock

As Americans are forced to spend more time commuting, the question must be asked 'what have highways done to improve quality of life?'

October 6, 2005 - The Baltimore Sun

Is Eminent Domain The Last, Best Hope For Inner Cities?

The WSJ profiles developer Jim Koman of Koman Properties Inc., and questions whether eminent domain is the only realistic tool for growth in severely depressed urban areas like East St. Louis.

October 6, 2005 - The Wall Street Journal

Competing For New Orleans' Future

Many different planning factions are fighting to have their say in the long process of rebuilding New Orleans.

October 5, 2005 - The Boston Globe

India's Shopping Mall Boom

India's retail industry is undergoing a dramatic transformation as the middle class flocks to shopping malls and foreign investors are poised to move in.

October 5, 2005 - BBC World Service

The Politics Of Demolishing New Orleans

In order to rebuild a sustainable New Orleans, much of it will have to be destroyed -- a process that has both sides of the preservation fence scrambling to make their voices heard.

October 5, 2005 - The Los Angeles Times

The Wrong Stuff: Creative Class Theory In The UK

A new research paper examines Florida's ideas, focusing on the evidence in British cities, and finds little evidence that 'creative' cities do better.

October 4, 2005 - Insitute for Public Policy Research

Proposed Downtown L.A. Hotel Causing Controversy

A proposed 55-story hotel next to the downtown Convention Center already has other area hotel owners ready to fight the City Council in court.

October 4, 2005 - The Los Angeles Times

Asia's Largest Slum Is An Economic Powerhouse

Dharavi, a slum in Mumbai, India, may appear at first to be a squalid concentration of misery. It is also the prosperous home of some 5,000 single-room factories and tens of thousands of entrepreneurs.

October 3, 2005 - The Globe and Mail

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.