North Dakota
Fracking Debate Shifts To $
The public is increasingly showing support for hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas - and it's reflected at the ballot box as many pro-drilling candidates were elected. In fact, the debate has shifted from banning to what to do with new tax revenue.
The Booms and Busts of North Dakota's Drilling
Oil drilling has brought abundant prosperity to North Dakota over the past few years. Nicholas Kusnetz exposes the impact of weak environmental regulation in the state.
Oil Drilling Myths Exposed By Paul Krugman
New York Times economics writer and Nobel laureate Paul Krugman analyzes two major reasons for increasing oil drilling - reducing unemployment and lowering gas prices, and describes why it does neither.
North Dakota's Oil Boom
The Bakken formation, which lies under North Dakota and Montana, could contain almost 11 billion barrels of oil. Towns like Williston, ND are exploding in population and have the lowest unemployment in the country.
Saving Small-Town Movie Theaters
Small town movie theaters are seeing new interest from community members who are fighting -- and volunteering -- to keep them open.
The Transformation of the Great Plains States
Joel Kotkin reports that the from Dallas to Des Moines and Bismark, the urban areas of the Great Plains states has seen steady growth thanks to energy, agriculture and high-tech jobs.
Lots of Jobs, But No Housing for Workers
North Dakota is undergoing a jobs boom right now, but it doesn't have the housing stock to match the new increase in workers.
Wind Woes
A North Dakota man says he'll fight his city to keep his wind turbine.
The Case for the Cross-Border Region
Recognizing a need for formal cooperation between the regions in the middle of North America, the author of this article calls for a North American Central Economic Region.
Rewilding the West
Eco-tourism in North Dakota? It's more likely than you may think, as conservationists, travel agents, and big landowners turn the dwindling population of the Great Plains into an asset.
Buffalo Repopulation Plan Irks Cattle Ranchers
Plans to buy up land in the Great Plains and repopulate them with pre-settlement species such as buffalo have many cattle ranchers on edge. But proponents say these species are meant to be there -- in both an economical and and ecological sense.
Shifting Demographics Give New Face To Great Plains
The population shift from rural to urban areas is making big changes in the Great Plains. While many rural small towns are disappearing, the shift is opening new doors for business and preservation.
Small Town Pins Economic Hopes On Ethanol And Other Renewables
Mayor Al Christianson of Washburn, North Dakota, hopes to capitalize on the burst of interest in exploiting renewable, traditional, and alternative energy resources that are abundant in the Northern Plains.
Free Lot On The Prairie
In order to reverse its depopulation trend, one North Dakota town attracts young families with gifts of free property.
If Ethanol Is Dependent Upon Coal, Is It Green?
To "end our addiction to oil", ethanol, a bio-fuel, seems a likely transportation fuel to boost. However, from an air quality and global warming perspective, if the ethanol is going to be produced from coal-fired plants, is it worth it?
Learning From Grand Forks' 'Flood Of The Century'
The Planning Commissioner's Journal offers free access to an article about the devastating flood that hit theGrand Forks metro area in 1997 and local recovery efforts.
Fargo's Newest Pioneers
North Dakota as a haven for refugees? Diversity arrives, too quickly for some, at doorstep of a homogeneous state.
When There's Not Much Town To Govern
The Great Plains frontier is faced with shrinking populations and mounting poverty, making government services difficult to deliver.
Rising Lake Puts Corps in Hot Water
The federal government has spent $350 million building levees and moving homes as a rising lake that has already drowned 20,000 acres of land threatens to start a historic flood.
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
