Community / Economic Development

'Metro Recovery Index' Measures the Impact of the Pandemic and the Trajectory of the Recovery
Brookings has released a new tool for measuring the impact of the coronavirus on local economies across the country, as well as the effectiveness of economic recovery efforts.

Groundbreaking Affordable Housing and Homeless Shelter Project Underway in Berkeley
A new Berkeley development, the largest affordable housing development in city history, is slated to house 200 low-income and homeless residents by May 2022.

A New Generation of Community-Led Planning in New York
With a benchmark success in demanding rights for the community during an ongoing rezoning process in Inwood, a neighborhood in Manhattan, a new generation of community-led resistance to top-down planning is coalescing in New York City.

House Committee Calls for Stronger Federal Role in Planning to Deal With Climate Change
The new "Solving the Climate Crisis" report could provide guidance and direction if federal leadership in Washington, D.C. finally decides to take aggressive steps to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to a changed climate.

Mobility Companies All Over the PPP Recipients' List
The transportation industry has been promising high-tech innovations for years, and has attracted a lot of big time investment dollars along the way. But it looks like some of them are struggling during the pandemic anyway.

Richmond 300 Plan Update Includes New Cap Park, Form-Based Code
Richmond, Virginia is hoping to make some big changes in time for its tricentennial in 2037, including a new cap park and a new form-based code.

Bars or Schools? Governors Need to Decide
In a frank assessment of the reopening choices confronting the nation's governors, Harvard's global health expert, Ashish Jha, asserts that the opening of bars and some other indoor businesses jeopardizes the opening of schools in the fall.

'Freedom to Move Act' Would Provide Federal Support for Free Transit Programs
New legislation by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) would also target fare enforcement on the nation's transit systems.

Plan to Widen I-5 in Portland Loses Critical Local Support
The I-5 Rose Quarter project has proven controversial throughout the study and planning process, and now it's losing key local political support.

Mapping Eviction Risk
Millions of renters are at risk of eviction as federal support runs out and the economic realities of the pandemic take hold.

A Plan for a 'Just Green Recovery'
The Rhodium Group charts a path toward an economic recovery plan that would also achieve social and environmental benefits.

When Discussing Racist Monuments, Don't Forget Urban Freeways
The racist history of planning in Los Angeles is particularly evident in the way Interstate freeways were planned in the region.

Justice Department Challenges Hawaii Quarantine
The U.S. Justice Department has intervened in a lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs challenging Hawaii's mandatory two-week quarantine for travelers arriving on the island state. The Trump-appointed judge did not react favorably.

COVID's New Demographic
Younger people are making up more of the new cases of COVID-19 as the coronavirus explodes in the Sunbelt states, particularly Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas, bringing with it new attention on bars as settings for high viral transmission.

EU to Bar Travelers from U.S. and other High-Infection Countries
In another pandemic reversal, a "safe country" list was completed by EU officials to take effect July 1 to prevent the reintroduction of the coronavirus. President Trump banned travelers from Europe in March to reduce the introduction of the virus.

Chicago's Planning Director on Leadership During Crises
Maurice Cox, planning commissioner for the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, is the subject of this in-depth coverage by the Chicago Tribune.

Limited Housing Supply Correlated with Higher Rates of Gentrification
For insights into the gentrification of U.S. urban areas, researchers studied high-income buyers of housing in lower-income neighborhoods. To slow gentrification, the housing supply must be boosted, say the researchers.

Texas Hits Pause as Hospital Beds Fill Up
Coronavirus cases are surging throughout the South and West. With growing hospitalizations threatening the capacity of the health care systems in major cities in Texas, Gov. Gregg Abbott pressed 'pause' on the state's reopening plan.

The Eviction Crisis Is Already Here
Without rent relief from Congress, the recent wave of evictions could become a tsunami, according to housing advocates.

St. Louis Plans to Become a Global Hub of Geospatial Tech
St. Louis stakeholders hope to build on the momentum provided by the arrival of the new western headquarters of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
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Planning for Universal Design
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New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions