Commentator Neal Peirce argues that the nation's second-tier cities can indeed grow and prosper in partnership with leading metro areas, if we only give them a chance.
"Can Seattle's global prosperity be shared with Spokane and Bellingham? Will Chicago's economic vigor hold dividends for Milwaukee or Peoria? New York City is an acknowledged international "command and control" center, but what about Rochester and Buffalo?"
A new report from research group MassINC and the Brookings Institution says that if the country's prospering metropolises helped support surrounding outer-ring cities, economic development could be shared, and everyone would benefit.
How to do it? "There's a compellingly obvious answer: Bring the gateway cities into the new economy by channeling higher-tech businesses toward them. And use them as a base for expanded, affordable middle-class housing."
Read the full story: Let's bring prosperity to our second-tier cities, too
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
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