Revitalization
Christmas Downtown is Saved
Downtown Elizabethtown, North Carolina is in the middle of a huge redevelopment project, and customers were avoiding the mess causing a blue Christmas for shopowners. City Hall stepped in and put a hold on revitalization, and Santa is back in town.
Can Planning Rebuild "Ghettos of the Mind"?
Dehumanizing urban renewal-era public housing developments across North America are being replaced by mixed-use, mixed income neighborhoods with affordable housing. Yet in Regent Park, Toronto at least, many troubling social problems remain.
A Symbol of Revitalization For a Post-Industrial City
A new center on the campus of Syracuse University is meant to highlight the Rust Belt city's potential -- and to inspire its revitalization.
An Olympic Gamble for Community Revitalization
East London is the home of the city's poorest and most overlooked neighborhoods. It's also home to the site of the 2012 Summer Olympics, which officials hope will revive the struggling area.
The Barcelona Model of Reviving Industrial Areas
American cities are struggling to figure out how to transition formerly industrial areas to become vibrant and successful parts of the city once again. Neal Peirce says they should look to Barcelona, which accomplished it ten years ago.
The Indianapolis Cultural Trail
Downtown Indianapolis' revitalization created several thriving cultural districts, but gaps in the urban fabric made them seem distant and unconnected. Planners' solution? The Indianapolis Cultural Trail.
Post-Industrial Pittsburgh On the Rise
After decades of restructuring, Pittsburgh is doing significantly better than other cities attempting to recover from the loss of industry. Here's how they did it.
Revitalizing Main Street, One Store at a Time
More retail, joining residential and office developments, is seen as the crucial linchpin in the ongoing revitalization of Columbia, SC's Main Street.
Taking City Revitalization Beyond Iconic Architecture
Many cities see new iconic buildings as a major element in recreating themselves into distinctive places. But if every city has distinctive buildings, the distinctiveness is diminished. This commentary argues for new revitalization ideas.
Too Many Condos, Not Enough Jobs
Planners in Vancouver are moving to curb booming residential growth to expand commercial development downtown. 'It's all good to walk and bike to work, but if you don't have offices for people to go to, that makes things rather difficult.'
Zoning for Amusement
Coney Island fights to preserve its history of sideshows and tilt-a-whirls as revitalization steps into the ring.
Mill Comes Back From the Dead, Town Follows
Years after it followed many others like it and closed its doors, a paper mill in upstate New York has come back to life, and brought its town back to life with it.
Opportunities in Tornadoes
Parkersburg, IA, reeling from a recent tornado that devastated the town, could look to nearby Charles City for a silver lining.
The Bronx Pushes to Revitalize the 'Highway to Nowhere'
A remnant of Robert Moses' famous push to raze neighborhoods and build highways in their place, the Sheridan Expressway is ripe for revitalization. A local advocate believes that now "the stars are aligned" for it to happen.
Scaling Down Windsor, Ontario
City Hall in Windsor and the provincial government of Ontario are following the wrong path to revitalization, argue the creators of an influential website called Scaledown Windsor, who think Canada's 'motor city' needs to be reinvented.
Public Spaces Key to Flint's Rebirth
With a focus on public spaces, Flint, Michigan, is looking to revitalize itself.
Suburb Eyes Urban Density
Officials in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler are rallying behind proposals to increase density in the city, arguing that the urban shift will make the city more vibrant.
Upturn for Downcity
The Downcity neighborhood of Providence is undergoing an urban revitalization, one hinged on preservation and renovation of historic buildings.
Is eminent domain necessary for revitalizing cities?
Planners are split on eminent domain—one group believes it’s a critical component of planning since it allows them to implement plans more quickly. Others believe eminent domain does more to destroy urbanism than build it up. I’ve weighed in on it numerous times, including this commentary published by Planetizen.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
