Small Towns
Midburbs: A New Definition of Suburbs
When the name “suburb” just doesn't quite fit.
Small Towns Grow Faster Than Cities for First Time in Decades
Cities of 4 million or more people lost 600,000 residents to domestic migration.
Growth in Small Utah Towns Prompts Road Safety Concerns
As small towns rapidly gain population, local infrastructure will have to adjust to keep up with more pedestrians and car traffic.
Iowa Towns Embrace a ‘Shrink Smart’ Approach
Population loss doesn’t have to be a harbinger of doom. Some rural communities are taking small but impactful steps to improve quality of life for their remaining residents.
The Walkable Urbanism of Big Box Stores
For residents of many U.S. small towns and exurbs, the local Walmart offers a surprising benefit missing elsewhere in their communities: walkability.
New Research Blames Affluent Suburbs for Housing Crisis
Small, often wealthy enclaves build far less multifamily housing than their larger counterparts, exacerbating the dearth of affordable housing near big cities and job centers.
A Small Town Makes its First Zoning Update Since 1997
Mixed-use development and a floodplain overlay are the big-ticket items when the small community of Akron Borough in Pennsylvania recently updated its zoning code.
Housing Scarcity in Rural America
With the growth of ‘Zoom towns’ and the sharply rising demand for small-town living, rural communities are facing pressure to maintain housing affordability for long-time residents and boost housing production.
Americans Continue to Move to Smaller Cities
Cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 continue to see an influx of migrants lured by lower costs of living and high quality-of-life metrics.
How Some Main Street Businesses Survived the Pandemic
Despite the economic blow dealt by last year's lockdowns, business districts in smaller cities like Wilkes-Barre managed to weather the crisis.
The Anti-Urban Streak of Hallmark's Christmas Movies
The culture war episode sparked by a recent commercial aired on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel shouldn't surprise anyone who has noticed the anti-urban themes consistent in the channel's Christmas movies.
Rapid Growth and a Small Town Recall Effort
A group of organizers in the small town of Elizabeth, Colorado (population 1,700) wants to recall its entire City Council as an act of defiance in the face of rapid change and growth.
Small Towns in the Western U.S. Achieving Population and Economic Growth
A small town success story in Montana is indicative of a larger trend in the Western United States. Meanwhile, small towns in the rest of the country struggle.
Mourning the Loss of the Dairy Queen in Rural Texas
As populations shrink, small towns are losing an important place to get together,,
The Real Cost of Clean Water in One Kansas Town
Pretty Prairie has water with very high levels of nitrates, and lots of farmers that need to use nitrates if they want to keep the local economy going.
And the Oscar Goes To...
Many of the Best Picture nominees are set in cities, and none are focused on suburbia.
Public Transportation Provides a Vital Mobility Link in Rural and Small Towns
A new report describes the important roles that public transit plays in rural communities and small towns, current demographic and economic trends that are increasing these demands, and examples of successful rural transit development programs.
Craft Beer and Small Towns—A Perfect Pairing
NPR has identified a cultural phenomenon in rural America: craft beer is economic development—and a draw for young people.
Rural Areas Embrace the Arts for Economic Development
A burgeoning revitalization model uses the arts as an opportunity to bring in outside money while hiring local.
Corridors Are the Secret to Improving Transit in Small Cities
The future of smaller cities could depend on figuring out a way to improve transit, perhaps not at the neighborhood or level, but at the corridor level.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
