Commercial Districts
Saving Walkable Urban Places
A few key changes can help downtowns out of the ‘urban doom loop.’
6 International Models of Urban Revitalization
The New York Times recently published an article exploring six cities from around the world reinventing themselves for the 21st century: Paris, Sydney, Medellin, Lisbon, Singapore, and Durban.
A Struggling Commercial District Searches for Opportunity in Crisis
A commercial district in a wealthy part of Washington, D.C. is shedding high-profile businesses. A reboot is in order, according to local business owners and political leaders.
Planning Department Study Documents Storefront Vacancy in NYC Neighborhoods
A new report from the New York Department of City Planning has found that storefront vacancy may not be a one-answer citywide problem. Vacancies were found to be concentrated in certain neighborhoods, and the reasons appear to be varied.
Albany, New York, Putting Finishing Touches on Comprehensive Zoning Reform
Earlier this week, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan sent a draft of the city's new Unified Sustainable Development Ordinance to the city's Common Council.
The End of Manhattan's Music Row
The changes sweeping New York City include the end of Manhattan's Music Row.
Land Use Planning to Activate Downtown Nightlife
The Arlington County, Virginia downtown district of Rosslyn will provide the region's latest case study of a commercial district leveraging land use regulations to activate a dormant nightlife.
99-Cent Stores: the Weed of the Urban Commercial Environment
A proliferation of 99-cent stores in the Woodhaven neighborhood in Queens has strangled the commercial offerings in the neighborhood. But can residents or the local business improvement district do anything about the trend?
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.
The Art of Balancing Retail
Diversity is important to neighborhood commercial areas, but getting the right balance of retail and restaurants without disincentivizing the former is not so simple.
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.
Placer County
Skagit Transit
Berkeley County
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland