Education & Careers
RiverBend Project Begins New Chapter for Buffalo, NY
Solar panel company SolarCity unveiled plans for one of the largest solar panel factories to open in Buffalo, New York, forecasting almost 3,000 jobs for the factory alone.
American Community Survey: Recovery Hasn't Improved Poverty
According to the freshly released 2013 ACS by the United States Census Bureau, there have been modest, but insignificant, gains toward alleviating poverty within many urban areas.
Portland's Unclear Future as a Young Retirement Community
Portland's over-educated, under-employed population is largely a semi-retired community of young adults, according to some. But with rising housing prices and overall cost of living, it is unclear how Portland will retain these characteristics.
Philadelphia's Housing Incentives Shoot School Funding in the Foot
Philadelphia Inquirer Architecture Critic Inga Saffron is the latest to respond to an article in the Washington Post asking whether family-friendly cities make economic sense.
New Orleans Innovations Reduce Violent Deaths
Thanks to data-driven innovations funded with a $4.2 million grant in 2011 from the Bloomberg Philanthropies, New Orleans dropped its murder rate by 20 percent between 2012 and 2013.
The Role Infrastructure Employment Plays Throughout The United States
Brookings illuminates which states rely heaviest on infrastructure for employment as local policymakers are struggling with reliable federal funding throughout the peak of construction season.
Boxing Gyms in Shrinking Cities: Refuge for the Formerly Incarcerated
Sociologist Lucia Trimbur describes how urban boxing gyms provide an opportunity for a particularly vulnerable population, formerly incarcerated men of color, to "recover from detention and establish stability in the free world."
The University and The City: Location and Structure
Institutional structure and culture can matter as much as location to the success and survival of urban universities.
The Future of Higher Education: Location, Location, Location
Despite the improving economy, the outlook for the higher education sector is still poor, especially between the endowment haves and have-nots. Another factor playing a critical role in the success or failure of institutions: their location.
Can Kentucky Compete in an Urbanizing, Global Economy?
Braden Lammers provides a dispatch from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Business Summit and Annual Meeting, sharing the testimony of one business leader on the state's work force challenges.
New Jersey Addressing Nation-Leading 'College Flight'
A Philadelphia Inquirer blog post details what it calls a "brain drain" problem in the state of New Jersey—where more residents go out of state for college than in any other state.
Study Links Affordable Housing and Intellectual Ability in Children
Jonathan Walters shares news of a new study out of Johns Hopkins University finding a connection between affordable housing and the intellectual ability of children. Spend more, or less, than 30 percent on housing, and intellectual ability suffers.
New Musical Glamorizes Urban Planning
If/Then, a new Broadway musical, describes two possible lives of a dynamic, intelligent, glamorous, detail-oriented, and somewhat wonky urban planner. The character is based on Amanda Burden, who recently-retired as New York City's planning director.
Planning Education: Made in China?
A high school field trip in China that is hard to imagine in the United States.
The Fall of Planning Expertise
With increasing skepticism and conflict towards planners and planning projects, we must ask ourselves: Is the power and politics now vested in "community participation" undermining the planning profession?
Urbanists Soak Up Buffalo: PlaceMakers Empty Their Notebooks
Many of you attended CNU in Buffalo last week, but for those of you who couldn't make it, here's a quick collection of a few of the ideas shared.
Arguing for Cars, Not Transit, as a Poverty Solution
Data show that cars are more effective than transit in providing poor people to jobs and economic opportunity. But does that mean transit systems are fundamentally inadequate or just currently inadequate?
Long Commutes Pose Additional Risks for Students in New York City
A recent study shows significant variation in commute times for students depending on where they live in New York City. The concern with the findings is that longer commute times have greater impacts on students already facing other obstacles.
Report Details the Role of Infrastructure Jobs in the U.S. Economy
A new report from the Brookings Institute examines the details employment in infrastructure jobs in the United States—as well as making a case that infrastructure jobs can address ongoing concerns in the economy.
Making Biking Cool for Kids
A three-year bike-to-school initiative in Europe encourages children to bike to school.
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.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
