Chris Stines is Planetizen's former Editor and the founder of Urban Insight, a leading digital agency. Chris has 25 years of experience in technology consulting and urban planning and has served as a consultant to public sector state, county, and local agencies, Fortune 500 private firms, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations.
Can the 'Wikipedia of Maps' Challenge Google?
Google starts charging for its maps, and an open source alternative -- with support from Microsoft -- begins to challenge Google's dominance.
Does Gentrification Need to be a Bad Word?
Gentrification has come to signify wealthier residents pushing lower-income residents out of a community, but gentrification also has some "undeniable upsides". Ward 8 in Washington D.C. offers a glimpse into how gentrification can aid a community.
Anticipating the Impacts of Extreme Weather On World's Major Cities
A new report from the UK's Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change offers specific impact projections for 24 countries. CNN offers a slide show of recent calamities.
A Profile of the Most Conservative Zip Code in Texas
Highland Park, ZIP code 75205, represents the top of the 1% in Texas, and is the most enthusiastically Republican community in the country.
Does Local Economic Development Work?
Academic Mario Polèse argues that the history of local economic development is a "story of academic fads", that have "proven of little practical use."