As Chinese companies increase their direct investments in the United States, one midwestern city is reaping the rewards of close relationships with its foreign counterparts. What can Toledo teach the many cities seeking Chinese investment?
"Chinese investors have been buying commercial and residential real estate in Detroit, inexpensively because of the city’s financial troubles, and have agreed to finance a $1.5 billion waterfront development in Oakland, Calif. This year, on a trade trip to China, Gov. Jerry Brown of California discussed Chinese investment in the state’s troubled $91 billion bullet train project," writes Timothy Williams.
"But Toledo, a largely blue-collar city of about 280,000, appears to be punching well above its weight at a time when mayors from Philadelphia to San Francisco are returning from China empty-handed."
The city's advantageous location, freight infrastructure, industrial assets and informal “handshake culture” have been key in luring Chinese investment.
Read the full story: In Blue-Collar Toledo, Ohio, a Windfall of Chinese Investments
The Glass City’s Riverfront Sparkles with Promise
How Toledo is transforming its waterfront into a beloved community space.
Wielding Data to Fight Freeway Expansions in Toledo
A group of resident advocates is challenging the Ohio Department of Transportation’s arguments in favor of a proposed interstate widening.
U.S. Home Sales to Foreign Buyers Drop by Almost 10 Percent
International purchases of homes on the U.S. housing market slowed in the last year.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
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.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello