Larisa Ortiz Pu-Folkes gives some tips for creating an effective facade inprovement program, focusing on making it easier for building owners and merchants to access and take advantage of the funds.
Ortiz Pu-Folkes suggests that even if you don't have the funds to have a complete facade program, "micro-loans" for fixing up signage can achieve a lot:
"For $2,500 - $5,000, you can fund attractive signs that make a significant difference to the overall look and feel of the district."
Primarily she writes from the point of view of the business owner, who wants access to facade grants but gets frustrated with the process:
"...the match has to be significant enough to make the application and paperwork worth it. Otherwise, most business owners won't want to deal with the hassle."
Read the full story: Five Tips to Designing a Great Facade Grant Program
Debating Public Incentives for Private Developments
A debate common in growing cities around the country is taking place in Atlanta in answer to the question of how much support private developers need from the public.
Placemaking in Communities of All Sizes
A new article from Smart Growth America portrays the successes of placemaking in communities as diverse as Soldotna, Alaska (population 4,163), Orlando, and Philadelphia.
A "Softer" Color Scheme for Hotel Facade on Waterfront
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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.
Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor
Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.
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.
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