A new policy paper argues that real economic development reaches all levels of the economy—not just the top.

Amy Liu lays out the challenge for leaders in cities and regions to "remake" economic development, citing the lesson delivered by the lackluster U.S. economy: "Top-line growth doesn’t ensure bottom-line prosperity."
Along those lines, Liu has created a paper for the Brookings Institution titled "Remaking Economic Development: The Markets and Civics of Continuous Growth and Prosperity." Liu provides an abstract of sorts for the paper on the Brookings Institution website, where she lays out five action principles that put the ideas in the paper into practice:
- Set the right goals
- Grow from within
- Boost trade
- Invest in people and skills
- Connect place
Liu's work caught the attention of Joe Cortright, who provides a lengthy (but concise) summary of the new paper.
FULL STORY: Remaking Economic Development

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?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie