Community Builders

The Value of Partnerships in Community Development

Community partnerships can be an effective way to accomplish shared goals. What are the factors that make some partnerships more effective than others?

February 15, 2017 - Community Builders

Amsterdam Wedding

Weddings on the Street

Wedding photographers are fond of taking post-nuptial photos on quaint Main Streets, but rarely on the commercial strip. Here's why.

January 6, 2017 - Community Builders

Traffic Jam

65-Year-Old Disney Cartoon Perfectly Explains the Craziness of Driving a Car

In 1950 the Walt Disney Company released a cartoon called "Motor Mania". Starring Goofy, the film chronicles the metamorphosis of the mild-mannered "Mr. Walker" into the terror of the streets, "Mr. Wheeler". It was ahead of its time.

August 19, 2016 - Community Builders

Responsible Tourism

Communities across America are competing for tourist dollars, but what can they do to stand out from the crowd? Ed McMahon shares ten principles to "preserve the goose that lays the golden egg."

June 16, 2015 - Community Builders

Get Off the Ground with Community Investing

We're all familiar with the now ubiquitous Kickstarter campaigns, but what about some other tools to help crowdfund local retail and development?

June 2, 2015 - Community Builders

play fountain

Family-Friendly Downtown Living

What helps make a downtown family friendly? Safe places to play, safe streets, good schools and attainable housing, writes Jennifer Hill.

April 14, 2015 - Community Builders

Roadway Interchange or Celtic Knot?

Pop quiz hotshot: Think you can tell the difference between a roadway interchange and a Celtic Knot?

March 17, 2015 - Community Builders

A Proposal for a New Set of Bike Rules

Most states classify bicycles as "vehicles", and therefore bicyclists as "drivers" of vehicles. Practically what this means is: car rules are bike rules.

February 20, 2015 - Community Builders

Adapt and Reuse: Transforming the Old to the New

Adaptive reuse can help the old become the new, honoring our history and desire for efficiency along the way. This piece highlights 10 examples of adaptive reuse projects from around the west, depicting them in their before and after states.

November 5, 2014 - Community Builders

Road Upkeep in an Era of Diminishing Vehicular Travel

Today, most transportation professionals are aware that the era of inexorable growth in vehicular travel has ended. Yet many state DOTs and local public works departments continue to assume that traffic will grow far into the future.

September 2, 2014 - Community Builders

Examining Commercial and Mixed Use Development Trends in the Rocky Mountain West

Market trends have changed in recent years, but how exactly are they changing? A newly published report examines the commercial and mixed use market landscape in the rocky mountain west, and suggests how to properly capitalize on evolving trends.

June 26, 2014 - Community Builders

Treeless Ann Arbor

Streets Without Trees

Street trees add an interesting dimension to the built environment, providing shade, visual relief and more. They frame the public realm so well that we might be shocked to witness our Main Streets without them. This series of images does just that.

May 2, 2014 - Community Builders

A Brief History of Your Neighborhood

While some contend that our communities are sculpted by an unfettered free market, there are a variety of programs and policies that underwrite the costs of poorly planned development. "A Brief History of Your Neighborhood" examines a few.

April 23, 2014 - Community Builders

Does Reducing Regulations Yield Expanded Housing Options?

Outdated and onerous regulations, particularly those found in zoning ordinances, are affecting the availability of housing choice. What can communities do to expand their hosing stock? C.J. Gabbe explains.

February 19, 2014 - Community Builders

London Crowded Street

What Is 'Walkability,' Really?

Walkable developments are in demand, but what really makes a community "walkable"? It all boils down to three simple principles—physical access, proximity, and places—says John Lavey.

February 6, 2014 - Community Builders

The United (Watershed) States of America

What if the great adventurer and geographer John Wesley Powell had his way: That as the western states were brought into the union their shape would be dictated by watershed rather than political boundary? This blog - and map - depict this scenario.

October 4, 2013 - Community Builders

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.