Who benefits the most from synergistic growth, where the parts of the built environment are brought together to create a strong community and sense of place?
Urbanists are understandably frustrated at the slow pace of progress toward communities of synergy — “organic whole” places that are compact and walkable. In recent decades, demographic trends still favored suburban expansion — and spread-out development was and is supported by deeply rooted laws, institutions, and cultural values.
Now that a long-term pent-up market demand has emerged for urban living in cities and suburbs alike, more fundamental change is possible. Many demographic groups and business sectors benefit from assembling communities in which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
The so-called “creative class” and young adults strongly favor urban places and are sought by business and civic interests in both cities and suburbs.
The share of renters is growing nationwide — the mirror-image of homeownership decline — and this group is gaining respect as perhaps the strongest segment of the US real estate market.
... Businesses that depend on urban places include car-share and bike-share companies, mixed-use builders and developers, the transit industry, urban retailers, firms that need access to the workforce and innovation of cities, businesses that depend on tourism nurtured by character of place, downtown business associations, and financial institutions that invest in transit-oriented places.
FULL STORY: A new coalition for urban place

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance
The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.

Spokane Mayor Introduces Housing Reforms Package
Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposals include deferring or waiving some development fees to encourage more affordable housing development.

Houston Mayor Kills Another Bike Lane
The mayor rejected a proposed bike lane in the Montrose district in keeping with his pledge to maintain car lanes.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont