Cities
Satisfied in the Suburb
According to the Pew Research Center, suburban dwellers are the most content with where they live, despite reports that also find that suburbs are not regarded the most ideal places to live.
Recovery or Rerun?
A new government-sponsored watchdog website will allow citizens to track stimulus-funded projects. It's an effort to insure accountability. Neal Pierce wonders if that accountability will translate into smarter patterns of development.
America's Municipal Meltdown
Towns and small cities dependent on one or two industries are reeling in the face of the economic downturn and major budget cuts. Can the nation's large cities be far behind?
Reborn From the Crisis
In this thorough piece from The Atlantic, Richard Florida looks at the economic crisis facing the world, how it's affecting cities and regions, and how it will have a lasting effect on the U.S. -- in both good and bad ways.
Cities Face Hard Choices in Economic Crisis
The National League of Cities is reporting that the vast majority of America's cities are facing "fiscal difficulties," including a loss in tax revenue and the inability to secure credit.
A Look at the Cities of the Future
This slideshow from Treehugger offers visions of the future of cities -- from decades ago and today.
With No Jobs, China's Rural Exodus Retracting
More than 20 million Chinese who had migrated to cities for work have been forced to return to the rural countryside as urban jobs dry up.
A Better World Through Architecture
Architect Wes Jones argues that architecture is "an argument for a better world". But the general public doesn't understand how. Neither do most architects, writes Christopher Hume.
The Urban Recruitment Center
The military has recently opened a new type of recruitment office known as "The Army Experience Center" in a Philadelphia shopping mall. It's like an arcade, where video games and other interactive technologies provide visitors a glimpse of what it might be like to be in the military. It's a new approach, one that capitalizes on the modern teenager's affection for video games to attract them to the military life. You could call it persuasive, cajoling, or even a thinly-veiled attempt to con kids with flashy games, but, as it provides exactly what its target audience wants, the bottom line is that it's very effective. Why couldn't a city do the same thing?
Cities Gone Wild!
Architects form the University of British Columbia are calling on cities to "go wild" -- mainly by integrating ecological features into the cityscape to make it more self-contained. The result would be both sustainable and exciting, they say.
What's Next for the Cityburbs?
The line between suburb and city blurs as suburbs struggle with the problems of the cities' past. But there's hope, say this article's authors, who make a case for regionalism and government's active role in reinventing such struggling places.
The Death, Then Life, of Great American Cities
On Tuesday, over a million Americans made it to Washington, D.C. to attend President Obama's inauguration. Christopher Hawthorne relates the nation's refreshed optimism to an impending revival of urbanism and public space.
City/Suburb Relationship Doesn't Have to Be Zero-Sum
The suburbs are stereotyped as homogeneous, boring, cookie-cutter communities. But suburbs are evolving, according to this column from Tom Condon. Their relationship with cities is also changing -- and it can be good for both.
Cities See The Light
Through festivals, lighting master plans, and creative integrations of artistic interpretations, cities across the world are harnessing the power of light to reinvigorate neglected areas and renew public interest.
Bright Metro Futures Hinge on Transit
Creating transit, and planning around it, will be the key to success for metro areas, according to a new report from New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
'Consumption Amenities' Key to City Success
Cities that have fun things to do -- so-called "consumption amenities" -- are more successful at attracting people and growing jobs, according to a recent report.
Bell Tolls for California Cities and Their Creative Borrowing Schemes
Cities in California have been finding creative ways to generate funding and financing in recent years. Now, it seems lenders are coming to cities to collect on loans and many are left scrambling to pay up.
Power Plowers
How well mayors and city officials deal with snowstorms is one of the best indicators of how well they can serve their cities, according to this article from Governing.
The Role of Urban Journalism in the Future
Dan Lorentz at Where blog takes a look at the current state of urban affairs journalism in these two posts. He looks at the role of bloggers and citizen journalists, and wonders what would happen if a city were to lose its daily newspaper.
For Cities, Cutting Back May Simply Mean Streamlining
Tough economic times spell troubles for city budgets. One way to cut back on costs is to rethink operation of seemingly untouchable public safety services like police and firefighters, according to this column from Neal Peirce.
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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
