Community / Economic Development

Detroit's Airport City: Planes, Trains, And Promise

Can you say Super Transit Oriented Development?

March 14, 2006 - Michigan Land Use Institute

Educate, And Revitalization Will Follow?

Kalamazoo, Michigan, has developed a unique plan for revitalization: free college tuition for any student who enters the school system by ninth grade.

March 14, 2006 - Wall Street Journal via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Owner's Rights Important In L.A.'s Community Garden Dispute

Los Angeles Times editorial supports property rights in a dispute between a landowner and a group that has created a sustainable community garden in Los Angeles' South Central area.

March 13, 2006 - The Los Angeles Times

How To Make Gentrification Work

A recent controversy in Montreal might shed light on how to tame gentrification.

March 13, 2006 - Maisonneuve

Speedy Permit Process Helps Older Suburbs Redevelop

Michigan's governor rewards six older metro Detroit communities for successful completion of the Michigan Suburbs Alliance Redevelopment Ready Communities Initiative.

March 12, 2006 - Oakland Press

Waterfronts Revitalized Across U.S.

From East St. Louis to Louisville, Kentucky, cities are beginning to realize visions of riverfront glory.

March 11, 2006 - The Baltimore Sun

Can A Border Fence Curb Illegal Immigration?

Robert Sameulson is uneasy about advocating a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border but believes it may be a way to curb illegal immigration.

March 10, 2006 - The Washington Post Writers Group

Wi-Fi Zones Could Increase Sense Of Community

The wireless internet access areas encourage users to emerge from their homes and go online in more public places.

March 10, 2006 - BBC News

Detroit May Use Eminent Domain To Build Bridge To Canada

Plans involve razing parts of Delray, one of the poorest white slums in the country.

March 10, 2006 - Detroit News via Chicago Tribune

Do New Stadiums Really Spur Economic Development?

Baseball team owners are having less and less success marketing their teams in new cities, or generating public funding for stadium construction. What gives?

March 10, 2006 - Governing

Cities Court Women

As one of the "oldest" states in terms of the average age of its inhabitants, Iowa and its small cities are turning their marketing campaigns toward women, in an attempt to stop "brain drain".

March 10, 2006 - USA Today

China's Non-Existent Eminent Domain Protections

A rise of new money and power groups in China has widened the gap between rich and poor, urban and rural.

March 9, 2006 - The Christian Science Monitor

Gentrification Hits Middle America

Many Houston residents are none too excited about recent neighborhood development trends, and feel that the consequences could be dire for historically black neighborhoods.

March 9, 2006 - Governing

Traditional Neighborhood Development Soars In Popularity

TND -- often previously relegated to suburban communities like Celebration and Seaside -- is reappearing in inner cities, with positive results.

March 9, 2006 - Wall Street Journal via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

WSJ's Insider's Guide To Wal-Mart's Home Town

Bentonville, Ark., is the home of Wal-Mart and an "A-list destination for top executives." The economic power of of the County is belied by its rural history, although that is changing as it hurtles "rapidly toward an urban renaissance."

March 8, 2006 - The Wall Street Journal

Organic Farm Evicted For Wal-Mart?

L.A.'s South Central Farm, hailed as a model for sustainable living, faces destruction in the face of questionable motives.

March 8, 2006 - From the Wilderness

Squatter Skate Park Becomes Official

Searching for fast disappearing skateboard space in Seattle, two activists took matters into their own hands and created a fully functioning park before the city caught on.

March 8, 2006 - The Seattle Stranger

Kotkin Discusses Creative Class, New Book

Michael Duffy, host of 'Counterpoint' on Australia's Radio National, interviews Joel Kotkin about Richard Florida's creative class theory and Kotkin's new book, "The City: A Global History."

March 7, 2006 - Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio National - Counterpoint

What's Beautiful, Green, Affordable, And In Skid Row?

San Francisco Chronicle urban design writer John King comments on the city's newest 'supportive housing' development, the eight-story Plaza Apartments, located in the heart of skid row, to open on March 15.

March 7, 2006 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Graffiti Tells Urban Story

The life of SEKT, Dallas' most notorious graffiti artist, parallels the complex evolution of the city and its suburbs.

March 6, 2006 - The Dallas Observer

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.