Community / Economic Development
To Revitalize Downtowns, Cities Create Designated ‘Drinking Zones’
Mirroring New Orleans’ French Quarter or the Las Vegas Strip, some cities are experimenting with loosening open container laws in certain commercial areas.
Using Data and Partnerships to Build Sports Facilities
Data and partnerships have supported the recent development and improvement of sports facilities in underserved communities in Los Angeles County.
In Praise of the Endangered ‘Third Space’
The public spaces where people can spend time among strangers without buying something are crucial to healthy cities—and are quickly disappearing.
Ohio Suburb Reenvisions Car-Oriented Shopping Center
Garfield Heights wants to transform a 1960s complex nestled in a sea of surface parking into a walkable, mixed-use development.
Placemaking on the Halifax Waterfront
How small, incremental changes can create vibrant places.
Goat Blocks: A Blueprint for Urban Placemaking and Walkability
How one development harnesses placemaking tactics to build community at the street level.
NYC Releases Outdoor Dining Designs
New guidelines for the city’s ‘streeteries’ are set to go into effect next April.
Youth Employment Program Earns Top L.A. County Award
The highly impactful Youth At Work program offers youth paid opportunities to develop skills in customer service, leadership, mentoring, and community engagement while helping with various programs and projects at Los Angeles County parks.
Opinion: Why ‘Starter’ Homes and Cars are Both Disappearing
How lower-income consumers are being priced out of accessible options.
D.C. Bans Cashless Businesses
Critics of card-only transactions say they exclude ‘underbanked’ individuals and limit access to essential services.
Santa Barbara Renews Parklet Program
The city updated its pandemic-era on-street dining program with new regulations that limit the locations and design of parklets.
Jersey City and Newark: A Tale of Renaissance and Stagnation
The rise and fall (and rise again) of two great American cities teach us lessons about racism, economic opportunity, and more.
El Paso Streetcar Marries History, Mobility, and Economic Development
The city’s streetcar line, defunct since 1974, is moving thousands of riders through a newly revitalized downtown.
Report Quantifies the Potential Benefits of High-Speed Rail
Building more high-speed passenger rail in the United States could have significant economic and environmental impacts, creating jobs and reducing carbon emissions.
Pike Place Market Vendors Open to Pedestrianization
A survey of local business owners and vendors upends the common belief that frontline workers don’t support restricting vehicle access to the iconic Seattle market.
How to Kickstart an Urban Resurgence
In the age of remote work, relying on major employers to boost a city’s economic fortunes may no longer be enough.
Identifying Park Inequities Through Data Science
Researchers used a machine learning algorithm to analyze over 200 parks in Philadelphia, revealing insights about differences in access to quality parks.
Displacement Fears in Lahaina
Economists warn that reconstruction could put new housing out of reach for long-time residents.
New Book Analyzes America’s Poorest Communities
The similarities between the nation’s most disadvantaged areas, often rural, reveal the economic patterns that lead to chronic poverty.
Downtown Dallas Gets A New Park
What was once parking lots and vacant buildings have been transformed into the four-acre Harwood Park.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
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
