Small Businesses
How Planners Can Liberate the Next Amazon
The path to business success occasionally passes through the garage—famously demonstrated by industry titans like Amazon or Hewlett Packard. Zoning codes should encourage, not obstruct, these kinds of American success stories.
Brewing Can Ferment Growth in Towns and Neighborhoods in Need of a Lift
Hand of Fate Brewing took over a closed Dollar General in downtown Petersburg, Illinois and became an anchor for the city.
What Happened to the Chicago Food Truck Movement?
In Chicago, food trucks are disappearing and some blame the city’s stepped up enforcement of regulations and fines.
Atlanta Hopes to Help Some Neighborhoods Stay 'Displacement-Free'
A motion in City Council would open the door to new protections for gentrifying areas.
Bloomington Allows Artisanal Production in Retail Zones
Craft beer aficionados take note. Bloomington, Illinois now allows businesses selling artisanal products to manufacture their goods on-site. The ruling blurs a distinction between industrial and commercial zoning.
Helping Beloved Non-Landmarks Weather Gentrification in San Francisco
San Francisco is starting a program to recognize and protect long-standing local businesses based on their community value, not architectural significance.
Residents Want a Say as Los Angeles Neighborhood Changes
The big market forces of Los Angeles long ignored Elysian Valley, colloquially called Frogtown. But now the neighborhood has hip cachet and residents are organizing to have a say as the area changes.
Op-Ed: Regulation Has Urban Progressives Confused
According to Aaron M. Renn, left-leaning urbanists chafe against a regulatory culture their ideology supports. Favoring "regulation for thee but not for me," they want to bend the rules, but only for enterprises they like.
Luxury Condos Versus Philadelphia's Jewelers' Row
Downtown gentrification threatens to displace skilled artisans in a district where workshops go back five generations. Some of the jewelers own their premises, but the rewards for building pricey condos are tempting.
Study: Job-Poaching Tax Incentives Do More Harm than Good
Nathan Jensen, a political science professor at Washington University in St. Louis, has found evidence that one of the most popular strategies for state and local leaders to attract new business does not pay off.
New Toolkit Aims to Educate Leaders on How to Support Entrepreneurship and Small Businesses
Using case studies from across the country, a toolkit released earlier this month by the National League of Cities aims to provide local leaders with concrete strategies to assist the growth of their local entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Romans Worry About Impact of 'Tourist Tax'
Rome has instituted a new tax on tourists aimed at building a fund to restore its crumbling infrastructure. But some worry it will drive tourists away.
Invasion of the Chain Stores
As chain stores move into a Brooklyn neighborhood, some locals worry about the loss of local character and small businesses.
After Urban Renewal, Learning From New York City
Mary Newsom reviews a new book on New York City by Roberta Brandez Gratz, and finds lessons that cross borders even into her very different city of Charlotte.
Vancouver Businesses Opposing Bike Lane
Officials are planning to install a second major separated bike lane in downtown Vancouver. Local business owners are trying to stop them.
Street Greening Upsets Some Portland Businesses
A new street greening project in North Portland that seeks to reduce stormwater runoff is fueling a debate between the area's young, eco-conscious businesses owners and older owners who are worried about interruption from the project.
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
