Community / Economic Development
New Park Space for an Old City
After 3,400 years, Athens will soon get its first large urban park. When completed in 2030, Ellinikon Metropolitan Park will be 600 acres (243 ha), about three-fourths the size of New York City’s Central Park, an enormous addition of green space.
Historic Victory for Environmental Justice on Chicago’s South Side
The city of Chicago has agreed to take significant steps to remediate decades of discriminatory zoning and land use policies.
Exploring Urban Resurgence
In a wide ranging personal journey of interest to planners and interpreters of the built and natural landscapes, Chuck Wolfe weaves the interplay of the forces behind the everyday, providing fodder for problem solving in our cities and towns.
Supreme Court’s College Admissions Ruling Could Impact Environmental Justice Efforts
If rectifying racial injustice no longer passes constitutional muster, what chance does the environmental justice movement have?
Partnering with Schools to Expand Parks Access
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is partnering with over 560 schools to provide students access to the outdoors, nature education, and recreational programming.
Expanding Schoolyard Greening in California
To protect kids from extreme heat, California just distributed another $73 million to local school districts to transform schoolyards by converting blacktops to green spaces, planting trees, and other related efforts.
New Plan Aims to Revive Downtown San Francisco
The proposal focuses on placemaking and street activation as tools for economic development.
‘Tempe Tomorrow’ Plans for Expected Population Growth
Tempe planners are preparing a General Plan update scheduled for voter approval in March 2024.
D.C. Passes New Street Vending Rules
The District’s new regulations lower permit fees, reduce barriers to entry for vendors, and decriminalize vending offenses.
Recreational Programming Helps Communities to Thrive
Los Angeles County's popular and award-winning Parks After Dark program offers multiple important benefits, as documented in a recent UCLA study.
Iowa Towns Embrace a ‘Shrink Smart’ Approach
Population loss doesn’t have to be a harbinger of doom. Some rural communities are taking small but impactful steps to improve quality of life for their remaining residents.
An Urbanist Agenda for Education
An opinion article by Angie Schmitt addresses the neglect of education policy in the urbanist political platform, and proposes two specific education policy goals for urbanists to get behind.
Protecting Kids from Climate Change by Greening Schools
Los Angeles Unified School District is in the process of implementing a plan to ensure that at least 30 percent of all campuses include green spaces by 2035.
Bring Back the Corner Store
‘Accessory commercial units’ were once common across U.S. towns and cities. Now, zoning regulations make them illegal in many places.
Making Natural Gas Power Plants Cleaner
Carbon capture and storage has long been associated with coal-burning power plants. Calpine Corp. hopes to apply the controversial technology to existing natural gas power plants, beginning with a pilot project to start this month in the Bay Area.
Quantifying the Losses Caused by New Freeways
Data shows cities lose millions in potential property taxes when highways displace homes and businesses.
Los Angeles Wants to Transfer Public Land to Marginalized Groups
A systematic reparations plan has begun in the city of Los Angeles, though it’s still too early to tell about the scale and impact of the plan.
Report: Cities’ Climate Plans Fail to Include Workforce Development
While a few cities have detailed goals and investment strategies for building their green workforce, most U.S. cities fail to address the need for the training and education of a new generation of workers.
A Roundtable Discussion on the Future of Cities
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been shortage of opinions on the coming evolution of cities. It’s time to check in with the debate.
The ‘Necessity of Oil and Gas Drilling’
The California Supreme Court on Aug. 3 unanimously overturned a successful 2016 Monterey County ballot measure that banned new oil and gas drilling. According to plaintiff Chevron USA, the justices recognized the ‘necessity of oil and gas drilling.’
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
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.
