Community / Economic Development

Homeless Camp Portland

Intercity and Intracity Data on Homelessness Needed for Effective Policies, Study Says

A broader evidence base can more effectively evaluate policies for preventing and ending homelessness, according to a recent study published by Housing Policy Debate.

March 4, 2020 - Homeless Hub

Youngstown, Ohio

How Shrinking Cities Are 'Right Sizing'

Case studies in dealing with population loss from Ohio, Maryland, and Massachusetts.

March 2, 2020 - The Guardian

High Line

Friday Eye Candy: A Sorely-Needed Map of New York City Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods don't get the same official boundaries as cities, counties, states, and countries. So how do we know where one neighborhood ends and another begins?

February 28, 2020 - Gothamist

San Francisco, California

Latest San Francisco Bike Battlefront: Valencia Street

With most private auto traffic banned on Market Street in downtown, a battle is brewing in the Mission District between Valencia Street merchants, led by a bike store owner, and cyclists who support converting a bike lane into a cycletrack.

February 27, 2020 - San Francisco Chronicle

California Sprawl

California's Piecemeal Progress on Housing Production

California Assemblymember Richard Bloom and Tara Barauskas dive into the barriers to affordable housing in California and whether recent legislation streamlining local planning, zoning, and permitting processes.

February 27, 2020 - The Planning Report

Taco Truck

No Late-Night Tacos in My Backyard

Neighborhood veto power can conflict with citywide goals to provide a 24-7 urban experience, as a case study from Boston shows.

February 27, 2020 - The Boston Globe

LA Ciclavia

What Determines the Public Health Outcomes of Cities?

There's no one no defining attribute that determines whether a city is healthy or not, as a growing and evolving body of research shows.

February 27, 2020 - Kayla Matthews

Shopping Cart

Dollar Stores and Grocery Stores

Opponents of dollar stores argue that dollar stores are the mortal enemy of grocery stores. Is this really true?

February 24, 2020 - Michael Lewyn

Welcome

Neighborhood Preference Splits on Partisan Lines

Preferences in the characteristics of communities—from the shape of the built environment to demographics—reveal stark partisan preferences. Planners are faced with the task of navigating ideological divides.

February 20, 2020 - Pew Research Center

Presidential Campaign

Bloomberg Comments Put Redlining, Recession Back in the Spotlight

Some of the opinions of Michael Bloomberg, billionaire candidate for president, haven't aged well since his time as the mayor of New York City.

February 18, 2020 - CityLab

Retail

Local Restrictions on Dollar Stores Gaining Popularity

Cities and counties all over the South are restricting further development of dollar stores.

February 13, 2020 - Next City

Angry Public Meeting

The State of Public Meetings

Dating back to a tradition begun in the 1630s, public meetings are an essential part of the political systems, and planning processes, of U.S. cities. Public meetings are also broken, according to this article.

February 13, 2020 - Curbed

Commercial and Retail Uses

Analysis: Parking Won't Save Struggling Commercial Corridors

Research suggests that more and more parking won't solve the woes of struggling commercial corridors, even if it's difficult for business owners located on those corridors to believe.

February 12, 2020 - Local Logic

Victoria, British Columbia

Making Space for Corner Stores

Too many cities lack a legal way for corner stores to be planned or built—despite the obvious benefits of the use to neighborhoods.

February 11, 2020 - CNU Public Square

Washington D.C. - Federal Reserve

Debating Improvements to the Community Reinvestment Act

The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 was the final of a suite of federal laws aimed at fighting racial segregation in housing. Congress is beginning to consider how best to modernize the act to meet the challenges of contemporary times.

February 11, 2020 - Washington Center for Equitable Growth

Prefabricated, Mixed-Use Project Proposed in Downtown Anchorage

The first mixed-use hotel and apartment project in downtown Anchorage, Alaska will use prefabricated rooms and is expected to start construction this spring.

February 6, 2020 - Anchorage Daily News

Olympia, Washington

Tax on High Earners Proposed to Fund Homeless Services in Seattle's King County

The Washington State Legislature is proposing a type of tax that the city of Seattle tried, and failed, to implement a few years go.

February 3, 2020 - KUOW

Dog Days of Summer

Friday Happy Hour: Minneapolis Has its First Dog Bar

Unleashed Hounds and Hops is calling itself the state of Minnesota's first dog bar.

January 31, 2020 - StarTribune

Electric vehicle

GM's Electric Vehicle Future Arrives Early in Detroit-Hamtramck

GM's first non-internal combustion engine vehicle assembly plant will be in the form of 35-year-old plant straddling the Detroit-Hamtramck border thanks in part to a $2.27 billion state tax credit. Electric pickups, SUVs, and AVs will be produced.

January 30, 2020 - Detroit Free Press

The Penninsula

Are Charter Cities Subject to California's Housing Laws?

After a San Mateo County Superior Court judge ruled that charter cities are exempt from the Housing Accountability Act, aka the anti-NIMBY law, the state stepped in to support the appellant, a YIMBY group that launched a "Sue the Suburbs" campaign.

January 24, 2020 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.