Community / Economic Development
Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown
In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.
Zoning Changes Could Allow More Restaurants and Bars in D.C. Neighborhoods
Zoning can limit more than just multi-family housing.
Is Twitter Still an Effective Planning Tool?
Twitter has been a daily dose of drama and upheaval ever since Elon Musk offered to pay over $40 billion to buy the social media platform. Media outlets and public transit agencies had been abandoning the social media platform—should planners?
New York Suspends Land Use Reviews for Shelters
The Adams administration in New York City will relax the review process for homeless shelters to create new space for arriving asylum seekers.
New York City's Dancing Prohibition Remains a Barrier to Entry, Equality
New York’s 1960s-era zoning code still prohibits dancing in small bars and restaurants in more than 80 percent of the city, but Mayor Eric Adams and advocates want to change that.
Recent Retail Closures in U.S. Cities Follow Trends Established Before the Pandemic
While some cling to debatable claims about higher crime rates as the cause for recent high-profile store closures in U.S. downtowns, the real reasons are more realistically extensions of the causes of the “retail apocalypse” from the before times.
How Can Urban Planning Address the ‘Loneliness Epidemic’?
The U.S. Surgeon General is sounding the alarm about the health effects of isolation. Planners have a role to play in rebuilding our “social infrastructure.”
Opinion: The Slippery Slope of Privatizing Public Works
The Biden administration is changing course on a century of policy in public works ownership and management, signaling a concerning shift toward privately owned, profit-driven utilities and other essential services.
Ensuring Equitable Park Access in Los Angeles County
Learn more about the Park Equity Alliance and how it is working to ensure equitable access to parks and recreation in L.A. County.
Building Community With Cohousing
Developers and buyers create new models for housing that hold the promise of a more environmentally friendly, connected, and multigenerational way of living.
How Is Supply Chain Expansion Impacting Urban Development?
Supply chain expansion can have specific impacts on urban development as people move to metropolitan areas and require more involved participation at all levels of the supply chain.
Low-Income Residents Less Likely to Move During the Pandemic, Freddie Mac Says
Does low-income residents staying put in large metro areas, relative to higher-income groups, mean that low-income households are missing out on affordable housing options? Freddie Mac researchers think so.
Colorado To Launch E-Bike Rebate Program Statewide
On the heels of Denver’s highly successful e-bike incentive program, a statewide program will provide rebates to all Colorado residents.
First Hotel Conversion to Begin in New York
A pandemic-era program designed to streamline the conversion of hotels into housing stalled, with the first project just now making its way through the pipeline.
Baltimore Sets Guidelines for Permanent Parklet Program
With pandemic-era parklet regulations set to expire on June 30, the city is launching a new, permanent set of guidelines for outdoor dining and other uses of curbside space.
Anti-Displacement Measures for Brownfield Developments
A series of reports published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Smart Growth America highlights tools and policies that can help mitigate displacement pressure when recovering and developing brownfields around the United States.
The City Beyond Amazon's ‘Great Return’
In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe explains how, as the Amazon (and other) “Great Returns” to the office unfold, it's essential to dig deeper.
Proposal Focuses on Downtown Milwaukee Revitalization
A city plan calls for reimagining an elevated freeway that cuts through downtown communities and redeveloping public properties.
East Lansing Parking Plan Aims for Walkability
East Lansing wants to ditch some of its surface parking to encourage economic activity and walkability.
Study: Transit Cuts Can Increase Poverty, Unemployment
An analysis of Clayton County, Georgia, which lost access to public transit for five years, shows a significant increase in unemployment rates and poverty during that timeframe.
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.
