Community / Economic Development

Lowering the Bottom Line

From city, neighborhood, block to building-scales, Stephen Mouzon offers ideas to offset high housing costs and economic segregation.

December 20, 2006 - New Urban News

Codes and Plans The Key To New Urbanism

Robert Steuteville comments on the progress The New Urbanism has made in implementing form-based codes and regional plans.

December 19, 2006 - New Urban News

The Demise Of Miami's Public Housing Czar

Rene Rodriguez, the once highly lauded director of the Miami-Dade Housing Agency, stands accused of taking from the poor to serve developer interests, as well as his own.

December 19, 2006 - The Miami Herald

The Modern Streetcar 'Hoax'?

Plans for modern streetcars are becoming more popular across the U.S. as one component of a revitalization plan. Randal O'Toole argues that the connection between streetcars and economic development is a hoax.

December 18, 2006 - The Thoreau Institute

Austin, Texas OKs Stricter Guidelines For Big-Box Retail

New rules approved by the Austin City Council require that neighbors be notified of proposed big-box development and that a public hearing be held for the project.

December 18, 2006 - Austin American-Statesman

Leasing Retail Space In Transit-Oriented Developments

Fruitvale Village in Oakland, California, provides a valuable case study for designing and leasing retail space in transit-oriented development projects.

December 17, 2006 - New Urban News

Measuring Detroit's Vital Signs

Model D uses the new CEO's For Cities report to analyze Detroit's strengths (more than you might think) and its weaknesses.

December 17, 2006 - Model D

Discussing Tourism, Planning And Sustainability

Michael Romanos, a distinguished professor of planning and economic development at the University of Cincinnati, sits down to talk about this experience working with cities and cultures around the world -- and in his own backyard.

December 16, 2006 - ECOCLUB, International Ecotourism Monthly

Paris Says No More Clothing Stores On Champs Elysées

The city's commercial planning committee rejected an application from Swedish retailer H&M, saying the famous boulevard -- already home to major clothing retailers -- needs less shops and more cinemas, restaurants and cafes.

December 16, 2006 - The Times (London)

Friday Funny: Carolers Take On Gentrification

A group in Boston's Chinatown has written their own lyrics to some classic Christmas songs to protest the neighborhood's rapid gentrification.

December 15, 2006 - Boston Herald

Boutique Cities Aren't The Problem

Responding to Joel Kotkin's critique of cities who woo "creative class" over the middle class, Jerold Kayden, director of urban planning at Harvard Graduate School of Design, argues that revitalizing cities isn't as simple as copying sunbelt cities.

December 14, 2006 - Christian Madera

Milwaukee Launches Innovative Economic Development Website

The new site, the latest in a growing number of online tools used to cultivate investment, allows companies to research demographics, find vacant parcels, and identify business assistance programs.

December 14, 2006 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Bringing The 'Community' Into The Community Benefits Agreement Process

In a test case that could serve as an organizing model for other communities, the non-profit West Harlem Local Development Corporation has been created specifically to negotiate with Columbia University as it plans a major campus expansion.

December 13, 2006 - City Limits

A&P, Wal-Mart, And The American Consumer Identity

Sixty years ago, chains like A&P and Woolworth transformed American citizens into consumers. Shedding this consumer identity is key to turning back the big-box tide, says Stacy Mitchell, the author of a recent book on mega-retailers.

December 13, 2006 - AlterNet

Taking Back Farmland In Brazil

As poverty increases in Brazil and small farmers are pushed off of their lands into the overcrowded city's and ghettos, some groups are doing whatever it takes to re-distribute farmland to the poor.

December 12, 2006 - Adbusters

Best Ideas Of 2006 Features Innovations In Planning

Urban design, housing for homeless people, and planning for decreased population are highlighted in the New York Times Magazine's annual survey of innovative ideas.

December 12, 2006 - The New York Times

Cohousing Projects Increasing Nationwide

Land has been purchased for what will be Oakland's fourth cohousing project, a collection of about 33 housing units with an underlying purpose of cooperation and community. Similar community housing projects are cropping up across the country.

December 12, 2006 - The San Francisco Chronicle

River Restoration Begins In California

In California, the largest river restoration project in the West has begun as water formerly directed from the Owens River to the Los Angeles Aqueduct is rerouted along 62 miles of its original path to Owens Lake in Central California.

December 11, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

A Career In Brownfields

A innovative training program in Boston is helping people get better jobs cleaning up the environment.

December 10, 2006 - The Boston Globe

Has Bringing Housing To Downtown Oakland Hurt The City?

Outgoing Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown's plan to add 10,000 residents to its downtown hasn't succeeded in its original goal -- to boost the city's revenue from sales taxes.

December 10, 2006 - Berkeley Planet

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.