Community / Economic Development

California State University, Los Angeles

COVID Vaccines Are Already Changing Cities

Here are just a few ways urban environments are transforming and reinventing themselves in the wake of the coronavirus.

May 23, 2021 - Devin Partida

New York City Restaurant

Car-Free Streets Benefit Restaurants, Yelp Survey Shows

Restaurants in areas designated as "slow streets" during the pandemic saw a boost in consumer interest.

May 21, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Hydroponic Farming

A Microfarm Grows in an L.A. Front Yard

The founder of Asante Microfarm hopes his farm will serve as a model for bringing fresh produce to underserved communities.

May 20, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

San Jose Arterial Street

Approaching Land Use and Transportation as Interconnected Issues

One researcher argues that the division between transportation and land use policymaking at the federal level has harmed communities of color and encouraged unchecked sprawl.

May 20, 2021 - Urban Wire

Grocery Store Incentive programs

Zoning Incentives for Supermarkets: New York Expands its FRESH Program

The FRESH program, previously offering zoning incentives for grocery store development in 19 districts around New York City, will expand to 11 new locations.

May 20, 2021 - NYC Planning

Old houses with large porch and colorful siding

Opinion: Freeze Property Taxes in Gentrifying Neighborhoods

A proposed bill in the Texas legislature would help prevent displacement of homeowners in areas experiencing reinvestment and redevelopment.

May 19, 2021 - Dallas Morning News

Rent Jubilee

Report Breaks Down Pandemic Rent Burdens by State and Metro Area

The share of U.S. households facing rent debt is decreasing as the economy begins to recover from the pandemic, but rent debt is still concentrated by geography and demographics around the country.

May 18, 2021 - U.S. News

Homeless Support Services

L.A. Could Consider Parks for Sanctioned Camping Locations for People Experiencing Homelessness

L.A. residents are demanding solutions for the city's growing number of people experiencing homelessness, but they don't tend to like those solutions when they include allowing people experiencing homelessness to stay in the neighborhood.

May 18, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Not One More Girl campaign graphic

Teen-Led BART Campaign Brings Attention to Sexual Harassment on Transit

The Not One More Girl initiative seeks to implement tangible changes to improve the safety of young people on public transit.

May 18, 2021 - Teen Vogue

Centennial Olympic Park

New Book Examines Public Housing as a Locus of Political Power

A new book, "Diverging Space for Deviants," connects public housing with political power.

May 18, 2021 - WABE

A Black woman stands in front of a home holding an umbrella and smiling.

The Numerous Obstacles—Past and Present—Facing Black Homeowners

Black Americans pay a higher price to be homeowners—and the number of those who can afford to pay that price is dropping quickly.

May 17, 2021 - NPR

Arizona Streetscape

Tucson's Pledge to Plant 1 Million Trees

Details and background of Tucson's pledge to plant one million trees by 2030.

May 17, 2021 - The Daily Climate

Apartments for rent signage

As Home Prices Rise, So Does the Number of Renters

The intense competition in today's housing market means more people might have to settle for rental housing.

May 16, 2021 - Vox

 Interstate 710 in East Los Angeles, California.

Caltrans Chief Wants an 'Absolute Pause' on 710 Freeway Expansion

Communities along the corridor have fought expansion for decades, citing air quality and displacement concerns. Now, the agency says it's time to rethink the project.

May 16, 2021 - LA Streetsblog

Atlanta BeltLine

Atlanta BeltLine Buying More Land for Affordable Housing

The agency has acquired 65 acres of properties reserved for affordable housing and job creation.

May 16, 2021 - Urbanize Atlanta

Twitter Headquarters

Big Tech Flirts With Community Development

Facing calls to invest in racial equity, companies like Netflix, Twitter, and others have recently pledged millions in new financing for affordable housing, small businesses, and other community development projects. Will they stick around?

May 14, 2021 - Shelterforce Magazine

Small Jazz Club New York

Recovery Fund Aims to Save Live Music Venues

A new real estate investment fund wants to help music venue owners buy their properties and stay in business as the pandemic and market forces decimate their earnings.

May 13, 2021 - Next City

Washington D.C. COnstruction

Study: New Markets Tax Credit 'Does What it Promises, Most of the Time'

The program, which gives tax credits to investors, has resulted in added jobs, increased incomes, and low rates of displacement.

May 12, 2021 - Next City

Dollar Tree Store Waterbury CT. 6/2014, pics taken by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube. #DollarTree #DollarTreeStore #DollarTreeLogo #DollarSign

Dollar Stores Close to Half of New Store Openings in 2021

Expanding wealth inequality has contributed to the explosive growth of "dollar store" retailers.

May 12, 2021 - CNN

Klyde Warren Park

How Planners Can Help the Dallas Food Scene Flourish

Dallas is amidst a process for electing a new City Council, and one local writer sees the transition as an opportunity to present an ambitious agenda for also overhauling the city's local dining scene.

May 12, 2021 - Dallas Observer

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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.