Community / Economic Development

Jason Kofke Mural

HUD Toolkit Supports Landlords Supporting Residents Through the Coming Economic Hardships

The eviction moratorium put into effect by the CARES Act, applying to residents in public housing authority and Housing Choice Voucher programs, is set to expire later this month.

July 16, 2020 - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Cincinnati, Ohio

Past Civil Unrest Sets the Table for Today's Gentrification

The story is similar in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Miami, Cincinnati, and Boston: scenes of widespread destruction—the fires, looting, and property damage of civil unrest—sow the seeds for redevelopment and gentrification.

July 15, 2020 - The New York Times

Coronavirus and Urbanism

Learning from Down Under

The governors of Arizona, California, Florida, Texas, and other states where COVID-19 infections are threatening to overwhelm hospitals should consider what their counterpart in Victoria, Australia, did on July 7 to contain the coronavirus.

July 15, 2020 - The Guardian

Honolulu, Hawaii

Successful Honolulu Open Street Program Extended

Due to its popularity, Honolulu is extending the Kalakaua Open Street Sundays program through the end of July. The program was first launched on June 14 in a collaboration between the city and the Hawaii Bicycling League.

July 15, 2020 - Pacific Business News

Down Payment

U.S. Mortgage Delinquencies Spike

The popularity of the mortgage forbearance program enabled by the CARES Act is one reason not to fear a housing crash like the Great Recession, yet.

July 15, 2020 - The Washington Post

Coronavirus Protest

California Rolls Back

The nation's most significant rollback to date of a state reopening plan occurred Monday when California Gov. Gavin Newsom closed seven categories of indoor businesses statewide and an additional six categories of indoor operations in 31 counties.

July 14, 2020 - San Francisco Chronicle

Choice Neighborhoods

Lawyers Connect Breonna Taylor's Murder to Choice Neighborhoods Initiative in Louisville

The lawyers for Breonna Taylor accuse police in Louisville of acting on behalf of a redevelopment plan led by the city with funding support from the federal government.

July 14, 2020 - Louisville Courier Journal

Coronavirus

'Metro Recovery Index' Measures the Impact of the Pandemic and the Trajectory of the Recovery

Brookings has released a new tool for measuring the impact of the coronavirus on local economies across the country, as well as the effectiveness of economic recovery efforts.

July 14, 2020 - Brookings

Berkeley Hills Bay Area

Groundbreaking Affordable Housing and Homeless Shelter Project Underway in Berkeley

A new Berkeley development, the largest affordable housing development in city history, is slated to house 200 low-income and homeless residents by May 2022.

July 13, 2020 - The Mercury News

Columbia University Athletics

A New Generation of Community-Led Planning in New York

With a benchmark success in demanding rights for the community during an ongoing rezoning process in Inwood, a neighborhood in Manhattan, a new generation of community-led resistance to top-down planning is coalescing in New York City.

July 13, 2020 - Yes!

Mountlake Terrace, Washington

House Committee Calls for Stronger Federal Role in Planning to Deal With Climate Change

The new "Solving the Climate Crisis" report could provide guidance and direction if federal leadership in Washington, D.C. finally decides to take aggressive steps to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to a changed climate.

July 9, 2020 - American Planning Association

Electric Scooters

Mobility Companies All Over the PPP Recipients' List

The transportation industry has been promising high-tech innovations for years, and has attracted a lot of big time investment dollars along the way. But it looks like some of them are struggling during the pandemic anyway.

July 7, 2020 - The Verge

Richmond 300 Cap Park Plan

Richmond 300 Plan Update Includes New Cap Park, Form-Based Code

Richmond, Virginia is hoping to make some big changes in time for its tricentennial in 2037, including a new cap park and a new form-based code.

July 7, 2020 - Richmond BizSense

Quarantini

Bars or Schools? Governors Need to Decide

In a frank assessment of the reopening choices confronting the nation's governors, Harvard's global health expert, Ashish Jha, asserts that the opening of bars and some other indoor businesses jeopardizes the opening of schools in the fall.

July 6, 2020 - CNN

Subway Turnstiles

'Freedom to Move Act' Would Provide Federal Support for Free Transit Programs

New legislation by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) would also target fare enforcement on the nation's transit systems.

July 6, 2020 - Curbed

Willamette River

Plan to Widen I-5 in Portland Loses Critical Local Support

The I-5 Rose Quarter project has proven controversial throughout the study and planning process, and now it's losing key local political support.

July 5, 2020 - The Oregonian

Love

Mapping Eviction Risk

Millions of renters are at risk of eviction as federal support runs out and the economic realities of the pandemic take hold.

July 2, 2020 - FastCompany

Environmental Justice

A Plan for a 'Just Green Recovery'

The Rhodium Group charts a path toward an economic recovery plan that would also achieve social and environmental benefits.

July 1, 2020 - Rhodium Group

110 Freeway

When Discussing Racist Monuments, Don't Forget Urban Freeways

The racist history of planning in Los Angeles is particularly evident in the way Interstate freeways were planned in the region.

June 30, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Coronavirus Protest

Justice Department Challenges Hawaii Quarantine

The U.S. Justice Department has intervened in a lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs challenging Hawaii's mandatory two-week quarantine for travelers arriving on the island state. The Trump-appointed judge did not react favorably.

June 29, 2020 - Politico

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.