Community / Economic Development

Future Floods in Focus: Using AI and Physics to Visualize Disaster Risks
MIT researchers have developed a groundbreaking AI-powered tool that integrates physics-based models to generate realistic satellite images of future flooding, offering communities a powerful way to visualize and prepare for disasters.

Ohio Invests $58 Million to Revitalize Brownfields and Boost Local Economies
This investment in brownfield remediation will clean up hazardous sites, foster economic development, and create jobs through 61 new projects across 33 counties.

Opinion: “New Towns” Are the Answer to Affordable Housing Challenges
How thoughtful design can create more walkable, livable communities.

Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Climate Action
These solutions offer cost-effective, sustainable methods to combat climate change, but require government action to reallocate subsidies, integrate natural assets into financial systems, and develop biodiversity credit markets.

Revitalizing Cities Through Soil Health, Green Spaces, and Nature-Based Remediation
Investing in soil health, urban parks, and nature-based solutions for brownfield remediation is essential for creating resilient cities, restoring ecosystems, and improving community well-being.

Trash to Treasure: New Park Set to Redefine Open Space in the San Gabriel Valley
Puente Hills Landfill Park, opening in 2027, will transform a former landfill into a regional park with trails, scenic vistas, and various amenities, addressing environmental justice and providing much-needed green space for the San Gabriel Valley.

Honoring Heritage: Stunning Mosaic Unveiled in Sun Village
The new artwork celebrates African American heritage, resilience, and the efforts of The Civic Women’s Club in shaping the high desert community in the Antelope Valley.

Improving South Los Angeles Through Strategic Tree Planting
The University of Southern California Urban Trees Initiative is planting 250 trees in South L.A. neighborhoods to improve shade, combat climate change, and enhance community well-being through collaboration and data-driven approaches.

Explore Urban Biodiversity: Join the 2025 City Nature Challenge
The City Nature Challenge invites people worldwide to document urban biodiversity by photographing and sharing wild plants and animals through the iNaturalist app, helping scientists track and understand real-time changes in ecosystems.

Planning for True Transportation Affordability: Beyond Common Misconceptions
Transportation affordability is important but often misunderstood, resulting in misguided solutions. New research helps identify ways to provide true affordability for economic freedom, opportunity and happiness.

New Tariffs Could Stifle the US Bike Industry
Higher tariffs on components built in China will make the cost of U.S. bike production much higher, likely slowing the growth of the industry.

Ensuring the Long-Term Care of Parks for Equity and Sustainability
Securing the care and maintenance of parks in the long-term requires sustained funding, equitable resource allocation, and political leadership and will.

Opinion: Why Linking Driving to GDP Misses the Point
The argument that car-centric development is good because it boosts national GDP ignores the massive costs of driving to everyday Americans.

How Los Angeles County is Advancing Sustainability
A recently released report by the Chief Sustainability Office (CSO) shows that L.A. County is making progress on meeting the goals of the OurCounty Sustainability Plan.

Dallas Extends Permit for Downtown Drive-Thru
The city has indicated this is the last time it will extend a permit for a drive-thru at a McDonald’s restaurant as it transitions to supporting a denser, more walkable downtown environment.

Denver Voters Approve Downtown Revitalization Bonds
The city wants to bring new projects and residents to the downtown core, where 13 million feet of vacant office and retail space await new tenants.

Addressing Orphan Wells for Environmental Justice
Remediating and repurposing some orphan oil and gas wells into parks can turn environmental hazards into community assets, promoting health, environmental justice, and accessible green space for underserved areas.

Auto Insurance Rates Spike Due to Extreme Weather
Car insurance costs around the country are going up as insurers receive more claims from areas struck by storms and other climate disasters.

California Approves $10 Billion Bond for Water, Clean Energy, and Environmental Projects
Funds will be used to support water, wildfire prevention, environmental, and park projects, reflecting strong public support for climate resilience.

Placemaking in the Barrio: Conceptualizing Infill Development in Disenfranchised Communities
How one San Antonio neighborhood could approach sustainable revitalization while supporting the existing community and drawing on its rich and diverse history and cultural resources.
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