Public Investment

Chicago

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.

December 29, 2019 - Next City

Oakland Architecture in Music Video

Does Oakland Have a Future as a Public City?

The city is experiencing significant growth and development, but it has a complicated history of booms and lags and its civic future is uncertain.

May 30, 2019 - Places Journal

Manhattan

Hudson Yards Will Redefine Manhattan

The size and scale of Hudson Yards in the skyline of Manhattan will match the size and scale of public and private investment in the project. The project's effect in the city's economy will be just as conspicuous.

June 8, 2018 - Crain's New York Business

Report Reveals Imbalanced Investments for Atlanta's BeltLine

While the neighborhoods on northern segments of the Atlanta's BeltLine has received 94 percent of funding invested towards parks and trails, segments to the south have received 86 percent of affordable housing investments.

September 25, 2014 - SaportaReport

High Line park NYC - Manhattan - New York City

The High Line as Symbol of 'Severe Economic Inequality'

A recent article in Salon cites the High Line as perhaps the most conspicuous example of how municipal governments are subsidizing wealthy corporate or private interests while many citizens continue to suffer low wages and benefits.

April 14, 2014 - Salon

Bike Sharing Becomes Part of Transportation Picture

Erik Weber of non-profit EMBARQ argues that bike sharing systems combine the benefits of cycling and public transit and is a sustainable solution for cities.

October 27, 2010 - TheCityFix

Raise My Taxes, Please! Financing High Quality Public Transit Service Saves Me Money Overall

Most North American cities offer only basic public transit service, with limited coverage and frequency, modest speeds, unattractive waiting areas, poor land use integration, and few amenities. Such service is used primarily by people who lack alternatives. In such communities, riders tend to abandon public transit as soon as feasible.

February 22, 2010 - Todd Litman

A Cost-Benefit Analysis for High Speed Rail

In the first of a series of posts to the NYTimes' Economix Blog, Edward Glaeser explores the value of high-speed rail in the US.

July 29, 2009 - Economix Blog: NYTimes

London's Big Stadium Gamble

The Olympics can be awesome for cities. Or they can be devastating. Rarely they're both, and most often they are an economic drain caused by over-investment in facilities with limited long-term usability. So when London's plans for a 2012 Summer Olympics stadium that would reduce from 80,000 seats during the games to a more realistically usable 25,000 seats after, Olympics experts, city officials and taxpayers rejoiced. But recent news has turned that rejoice to disgust.

June 30, 2009 - Nate Berg

Economic Benefits In Question in New York Stadium Redevelopments

Stadium construction in New York that was intended to have only a small cost to taxpayers has turned out to be a major investment and allocation of tax breaks, causing many to question whether the economic benefits of rebuilding will ever be seen.

November 6, 2008 - The New York Times

Stadium Development Could Hurt More Than Help

New data on stadium development show that economic benefits fall way short of public investment.

July 23, 2008 - The Wall Street Journal

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.