Coronavirus and Urbanism

Developers Rush to Build in Final Days of Philly's Tax Abatement
Neighborhoods that have been stubbornly resistant to investment for decades are suddenly the scene of waves of permitting activity as the city of Philadelphia prepares to tighten its tax abatement program.

Not Just New York: Reports of an Urban Exodus From Houston
A recent article about Houston residents fleeing the city for College Station reads a lot like articles about New Yorkers decamping for less urban climes.

Opinion: Upzone Now to Improve Commutes in the Post-Lockdown Future
Building more housing where people work is a simple way to come out of the pandemic with a stronger sense of community and shorter commutes, according to this article.

How the Pandemic Is Reshaping Ideas of the 'Smart City'
Accelerated investment in smart city technologies presents increased opportunity for connection and data-driven decision making, so long as cities can avoid the common pitfalls of implementation.

Affordable Housing Production Grinds to a Halt During Pandemic
Just when the nation needs a functional market for affordable housing, the industry that builds affordable housing supply has stopped functioning, like to many other parts of the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friday Funny: Al Fresco on the Freeway
Fake news site The Onion imagines the logical result of car-centric planning during a pandemic.

Adaptive Reuse Proposal Responds to COVID-19
Designers have gone back to the drawing board to keep proposals moving through the development pipeline in light of lessons from the pandemic.

The Great Debate: Will the Pandemic Alter the Course of Urbanism?
The geography for the coronavirus has changed, but most of the debate about the future of cities continues along many of the same lines as in the early months of the pandemic.

The Greener Side of Hong Kong: Five Parks to Visit
Most people only know Hong Kong as an urban jungle and one of the densest cities in the world. However, there are actually green places where its residents can go for exercise and relaxation.

New Homes Selling Like Hotcakes
New homes, located mostly on the fringe of developed areas, are selling at a torrid pace this summer.

Resurgence Delayed—or a Pandemic Exodus?
In this interview with Emily Badger of the New York Times, Natalie Moore of WBEZ Chicago, and Amanda Kolson Hurley of Bloomberg Businessweek, Slate's Henry Grabar asks about the future viability of America's cities and suburbs in a time of COVID-19

Pandemic-Proof Real Estate: Whither NYC?
The president of Hudson Companies and The Planning Report’s first editor, David Kramer, discusses New York City’s COVID response and recovery and its likely impact on multifamily housing development going forward.

19 Ways to Redesign the World in the Covid-19 Era
POLITICO Magazine surveyed designers, architects, planners, doctors, psychologists, logisticians, and others, asking them how they would redesign the world for the Covid-19 era and beyond.

How Local Planners Can Lead a Proactive, Aggressive Response to the Pandemic
The novel coronavirus has so far preyed on the most vulnerable in cities, as a result of the planning failures of the previous century. Planners today can take steps to reverse that reality, if they reclaim their historic role.

Measuring the Coronavirus Effect on Development in Brooklyn, Queens
Two development markets charged by an early 2000s rezoning will test the reach of the coronavirus in New York City's development market.

More Riders on Buses Than the Subway in New York City, in a Historic First
Buses in New York City are proving to be a crucial tool as New York recovers from a brutal experience at the beginning of the pandemic.

COVID-19, YIMBY, and PHIMBY
How will COVID-19 and its economic consequences affect housing supply?

'Open Restaurants on Open Streets' Program Announced in NYC
The al fresco streets concept is coming to New York City.

The All-New High Line
With travel restrictions requiring quarantines for many out-of-state visitors to New York City, the normal hordes of tourists on New York's High Line will be absent for months to come.

Does Density Aggravate the COVID-19 Pandemic? Early Findings and Lessons for Planners
A new study finds that county density is not significantly related to the infection rate, but higher density counties have significantly lower virus-related mortality rates than those with lower densities, possibly due to superior health care.
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City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
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