Community / Economic Development

Parks of Inclusion
The people sitting, playing, and enjoying themselves in parks aren't always representative of the population that live in the communities. Here are three examples of parks that succeed at inclusion.

Oregon Could Trim Opportunity Zones Tax Break
The federal opportunity zones program is a double benefit in the state of Oregon, and legislators are wondering if the program is more effective in setting up tax havens than delivering investments in underserved areas.

Opportunity Zones Under Investigation by Treasury Inspector General
Along with other members of congress, one of the authors of the law that established the federal Opportunity Zones program has asked the Treasury Department to investigate potential abuse of the program. The Treasury inspector general is obliging.

Can Hydrogen Make a Comeback?
While hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are much less popular than their battery-powered siblings, California remains committed to the zero-emission technology, with three state agencies investing in and monitoring its progress.

Cities Still Sweeping Away Homeless Camps, Despite Legal Challenges
Denver and Los Angeles kicked the new year off by committing to the enforcement of a sleeping ban and sweeping away a large homeless encampment, respectively.

Strategic Action for Affordable Housing: How Advocacy Organizations Accomplish Policy Change
Anaid Yerena of the University of Washington, Tacoma writes about a recent article she authored in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

2010s Were Best Of Times, Worst Of Times in California
California started the decade with a recession and hangover from rampant development in the 2000s. What ensued was an economic boom like none other. Meanwhile, its cities developed only incrementally, spiraling into a catastrophic housing shortage.

Urban Planning Trends to Watch in 2020
Planetizen Managing Editor James Brasuell tries to predict the big ideas and trends that will dominate the discussion about the future of land use, planning, and development in the first year of the new decade.

To Map the City's Retail Health You Need to Walk the Streets
Barcelona and Manhattan, two municipalities with the same population and retail model, share many similarities and a couple of things they can learn from each other.

When Amazon Brings Both Economic Optimism and Disappointment
A Kentucky town welcomed Amazon’s arrival, but the economic outcomes over the last two decades have been lackluster.

What the Academic Literature Says About Civic Engagement
A literature review notes three big themes and challenges to emerge from a year's worth of intellectual investigation of civic engagement.

It's Easier to Consume Marijuana in Public in Colorado, Starting Today
This article pitches Colorado's new commercial marijuana regulations, including making more space for public consumption, as a way for the state to keep up with California.

Top Urban Planning Websites – 2019
Planetizen's annual list of the best of the planning Internet gives a taste of the technological and editorial milieu of the urban planning Internet at the beginning of a new decade.

Chicago Planning Commissioner Focuses on Disinvested Neighborhoods
A new initiative seeks to bring investment dollars to Chicago communities that for decades have suffered from the loss of wealth and population.

The Atlanta Beltline—20 Years Later
The scope of the Atlanta Beltline's effect on the city has astounded most observers, including the person who came up with the idea first.

The Anti-Urban Streak of Hallmark's Christmas Movies
The culture war episode sparked by a recent commercial aired on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel shouldn't surprise anyone who has noticed the anti-urban themes consistent in the channel's Christmas movies.

HUD's Latest Homeless Report Counts Increasing Homelessness
The federal government blamed California for the increasing number of people living in homelessness in the United States.

Norman Krumholz, Champion of Equity Planning, Dies at 92
The planning community lost a luminary in Krumholz, the author of the "Making Equity Planning Work" and the former director of planning for the city of Cleveland.

Investment Without Displacement the Goal in West Philly
As the 52nd Street corridor in West Philly attracts new development interest, community leaders are working to ensure that current residents won't get swept away with the new investment.

15 New Special Taxing Districts Approved in Cincinnati
The city of Cincinnati is committing to tax increment financing as a tool to invest in underserved, low-income neighborhoods.
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