Community / Economic Development

Cash

Lawmakers Question ARPA Spending

Cities and states say the American Rescue Plan Act has been crucial to keeping the lights on during the pandemic, but some Republican lawmakers denounce spending on projects unrelated to COVID relief.

March 22, 2022 - Route Fifty

Gas Pump

Easing the Burden of High Gas and Housing Costs for Low-Income Households

Low-income families suffer most from dramatic spikes in housing and transportation costs, but governments can soften the impact through a series of actions.

March 22, 2022 - Urban Institute

A children's play area is busy with kids and their parents in Downtown Dallas.

Urban Highway Removal: 4 Considerations for Reknitting a City’s Fabric

Making the right decisions to create a positive urban legacy.

March 20, 2022 - Margaret Newman

Map of proposed project area

Detroit Plans Freeway Removal To Spur Economic Development

City and state officials hope the proposal to turn part of I-375 into a walkable boulevard will help bring back businesses and economic vitality to the area.

March 20, 2022 - WDET

Pedestrian Infrastructure

Census Data: Black Americans Leaving Cities for Suburbs

The trend of Black Americans leaving urban areas for suburban communities mirrors the White Flight of the mid-20th century but for vastly different reasons and with vastly different consequences.

March 18, 2022 - Associated Press via Los Angeles Times

Economic Recovery Plan

Portland Extends Pandemic Public Space Programs

PBOT will continue two highly successful COVID-era programs that allowed businesses and community groups to repurpose public spaces for pedestrian-oriented uses and engage with customers in safe, accessible outdoor settings.

March 16, 2022 - City of Portland

Domino Park

Reimagining Public Space in the Post-COVID Era

The pandemic forced a large-scale reexamination of how public spaces and urban form impact public health and equity. Now, policymakers can learn from those innovations to plan for the future of cities.

March 16, 2022 - Next City

Winter City

Detroit Launches Website To Track Spending of Federal Dollars

A new web portal allows Detroiters to see how the city is spending hundreds of millions in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.

March 15, 2022 - Detroit Free Press

UC Berkeley and North Berkeley

Berkeley's Black Churches To Build Affordable Housing

Historically Black churches will use their property to build affordable housing aimed at seniors and other residents being priced out of their neighborhoods.

March 15, 2022 - Berkeleyside

A historoci image of West End Boston, cleared completely of buildings to make way for a massive urban renewal program that would include the city's present-day City Hall.

Boston's New Mayor Wants to End Old Urban Renewal Districts

Michelle Wu, Boston's new mayor, is ready to finally end the government powers that displaced communities in the mid-20th century.

March 15, 2022 - The Boston Globe

Fracking

Pumping More Oil to Lower Gas Prices

Proponents of increased oil drilling in the U.S. to replace banned Russian oil argue that it will decrease prices at the pump. A Texas reporter examined the claim with a University of Texas energy analyst. If only it was that simple.

March 14, 2022 - KXAN

NIMBY Sign

What Is a NIMBY?

One of the most politically charged and controversial terms in planning, the acronym NIMBY stands for Not In My Back Yard.

March 14, 2022 - James Brasuell

A view up Santa Fe Drive in Denver. Stores and construction are visible along the street, and Downtown Denver looms in the background.

Denver Wants Ground Floor Retail, Sidewalk Extensions to Achieve Main Street 'Vibe'

The Arts District on Santa Fe Drive is considered one of Denver's final frontiers for revitalization. Local stakeholders are targeting zoning changes as a potential solution.

March 13, 2022 - The Denver Post

Rendering of Arverne East development

Net Zero Development Coming to New York City

The project, which relies largely on geothermal energy to minimize its carbon footprint, will bring affordable housing and boost storm resilience to an area devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

March 11, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Interstate 635

Dallas Neighborhoods Fight Toxic Zoning

Communities in south and west Dallas are working to introduce zoning reform that would reduce industrial pollution and hold companies accountable for their impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.

March 10, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

pallets of green oil barrels stacked

Banning Russian Oil

President Biden announced a ban on the importation of Russian energy on Tuesday in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. He warned that gasoline prices will go even higher as a result. Europe will not be joining the ban.

March 10, 2022 - The New York Times

A long farmhouse is visible in winter agricultural fields, Snow-covered mountains loom above low clouds in the background of the photo.

Toward Better 'Rural Places and Planning'

The authors of the new book "Rural Places and Planning" expand beyond stereotypes of the rural to describe a more supportive approach to rural planning.

March 8, 2022 - Menelaos Gkartzios

View of Fountain Square in Evanston, Illinois looking south-southeast towards Chicago and Lake Michigan

Affordable ADU Builder Hopes Co-Op Model Can Catch On

A worker-owned developer in Evanston uses sustainable materials to build efficient, affordable ADUs to help homeowners create generational wealth.

March 6, 2022 - Next City

Gas Pump

The Missing Sanctions on Russia

President Biden took aim at Russia in his State of the Union address for the war it has started in Ukraine, vowing that they will "pay a price" which so far has yet to extend to their oil and gas exports.

March 6, 2022 - The Associated Press

Truckee River

A New Frontier for Urban Revitalization: Creeks

As more cities embrace small waterways for public and private development opportunities, experts caution about the risks of trusting existing resources on environmental risk along variable waterways.

March 4, 2022 - The New York Times

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.