Four small cities across the country are seeing positive results with non-traditional public engagement strategies like bouncy castles, beer coasters, and ball games.

Never underestimate the power of community pride as a motivator for engagement--that's one lesson from the Orton Family Foundation's recent event on public engagement. Featuring four small cities, the call showcased ways that connecting with residents can lead to plans that are implemented and that get results.
Biddeford, Maine's story is particularly remarkable—through a series of neighborhood conversations, engagement at fairs and festivals, and youth storytelling projects, the city rediscovered the beauty of its historic downtown and developed a downtown master plan that reflected the community's vision. Five years later, commercial real estate values in downtown have averaged a 60 percent increase in value since 2014, residential values are up by 12 percent, and 1.6 million square feet of previously abandoned mill space is almost full.
A prosperous community, Golden, Colorado came together and identified walkability and accessibility as one key asset to maintain. Despite pushback from a loud and politically active minority, the city has been able to invest in traffic calming measures and street improvements that benefit everyone in town. Their secret to success? Block parties with bouncy castles, bike tuneups and free veterinarian services brought people together to begin finding common ground.
And, in both Cortez, Colorado and Ellensburg, Washington, deliberate outreach efforts—like catching parents at soccer tournaments—have led to the discovery and involvement of voices often isolated from local decision-making.
FULL STORY: Finding Your Hometown’s Heartbeat: Community Engagement with Bouncy Castles, Beer Coasters, and Ball Games

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

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

Photos: In Over a Dozen Cities, Housing Activists Connect HUD Cuts and Local Issues
We share images from six of the cities around the country where members of three national organizing networks took action on May 20 to protest cuts to federal housing funding and lift up local solutions.

DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process
The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.

Judge Extends NYC Congestion Pricing Through at Least June 9
A federal judge halted the Trump administration’s effort to kill the program, which remains in limbo as a lawsuit filed by the MTA moves forward.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service