Community / Economic Development
How Infrastructure Improvements Spur Economic Development
A formerly underutilized corridor in Citrus Heights, California is being transformed into a vibrant, walkable street—and stimulating economic growth in the process.
Report Recommends Affordable Housing for Artists, 'Cultural Workers'
A report providing recommendations for Berkeley's Housing Element update recommends allocating affordable housing and exploring a guaranteed basic income program for creative workers.
AARP Releases DIY Walk Audit
An updated 'walk audit toolkit' lets you assess pedestrian safety in your neighborhood and advocate for improvements.
Protecting Affordable Housing After Natural Disasters
Research shows that low-income communities suffer most and take the longest to recover from disasters, which can often wipe out affordable housing stock and displace vulnerable households.
New Bus Rapid Transit Line Expected To Revitalize Indianapolis Neighborhoods
In addition to connecting residents to jobs and medical facilities, city leaders hope the BRT line will boost economic development along the route.
Danish Paradox: High COVID Transmission Leads to Endemicity
The nation with the world's highest COVID infections per capita was the first in Europe to end almost all coronavirus restrictions. The decision comes with the declaration that as of Feb. 1, COVID is no longer a "socially critical disease" in Denmark
Mobile Recreation Program to Serve Park-Poor Areas
Los Angeles County launches "Park On the Move" initiative to offer recreational activities and opportunities in underserved communities.
L.A. Councilmember Proposes Criminalizing On-Street Bike Repairs
Councilmember Krekorian's proposal to criminalize bike repairs and sales on public right-of-way has been sharply criticized as a cynical move that will unfairly target the unhoused.
Urban Villages for the Proletariat
Compact, walkable urban villages benefit working families and organized labor by creating jobs, improving household affordability, reducing commute duration, improving economic opportunities, and creating cleaner, healthier communities.
Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway: Governor Rejects San Antonio's Redevelopment Plan
After Texas relinquished control of state highways to cities in an effort to save money on maintenance costs, San Antonio planned an ambitious makeover of Broadway to accommodate pedestrian and bike improvements. The state won't approve it.
HUD Credits COVID-19 Relief for Improved Homelessness Numbers
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's "2021 Annual Homeless Assessment Report" comes with significant caveats about partial data and changing homeless shelter practices.
Building Up the 'Zoning Buffer' to Increase Housing Supply Without Raising Land Values
New research helps explain why urban housing prices are escalating and how communities can increase affordability. It emphasizes the need to upzone sufficient urban land to create a large competitive market for parcels ready for infill development.
How Policymakers Are Grappling With the Racist Legacy of Urban Freeways
In Michigan, the state's Department of Transportation is looking for ways to mitigate the damage caused by decades of urban renewal policies and reconnect neighborhoods cut off from amenities and opportunities by highway projects.
Considering Geographic Equity
What do we owe poor cities?
The Pandemic Era
"We are living in the Covid-19 era, not the Covid-19 crisis," Allan Brandt, a historian of science and medicine at Harvard University, told Gina Kolata of the New York Times last October in a review of past pandemics and what we can learn from them.
The Great Plains Real Estate Boom
Cities on the Great Plains were giving away land in recent decades in the hopes of attracting new residents. Now they have a different challenge: responding to a sudden, but still modest, spike in demand.
Lawsuit Challenges Zoning to Limit Church Soup Kitchens
Local residents of Brookings, Oregon say a local church's meal services during the pandemic were attracting crime and vagrancy, so the city passed a zoning ordinance that limited the number of days the church could serve meals to two a week.
Chicago Seeks Public Input on Clark Street Improvements
The city is creating a strategy for improvements in the Clark Street corridor to improve the area's walkability and stimulate the local economy.
Santa Barbara May Scale Down Outdoor Dining Areas
The city will consider adjustments to its outdoor dining policy after the fire department expressed concerns about access for emergency vehicles.
6 Surprising Ways Communities Can Grow Their Businesses Amidst the Labor Shortage
While the labor shortage has affected businesses across the country, many communities have started taking steps to support area businesses and help them thrive.
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
