Community / Economic Development
Low Pay, High Housing Costs: Not a Good Equation for Teachers
The rising cost of housing, along with the pandemic, has transformed the lack of housing affordable to teachers in expensive parts of California from bad to worse. Solutions so far only address half the problem or don’t go far enough.
Construction Halted on Amazon’s HQ2
The company is pausing construction on its much-anticipated second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
Austin Scores Highest on Pandemic Recovery; Bay Area and Baltimore Lowest
The Bay Area Council and CBRE created an economic tracker to measure how well the nation's 25 largest metropolitan areas have recovered from the public health restrictions imposed on their regions at the onset of the pandemic.
The Slow Retreat of Pandemic-Era Outdoor Dining Programs Continues
It’s been almost three years since the political dynamics of outdoor dining in the United States shifted, suddenly and overwhelmingly. Increasingly, the status quo is being restored.
A Chatbot Talks Regeneration and Recovery for Seattle
In his recent analysis of trends to watch for 2023, Managing Editor James Brasuell noted how ChatGPT might replace all the writers of Planetizen, and more. Chuck Wolfe decided to take literally Brasuell's “don't let it sneak up on you” admonition.
Orange County Developers Eye Dying Malls for Housing, Mixed-Use
As indoor malls lose their luster, their properties offer convenient amenities and infrastructure perfectly suited for redevelopment into housing, parks, and retail.
Resilience Matters: Collective Action For Healthier Communities
The Island Press Urban Resilience Project (URP) has published a new, free "Resilience Matters" e-book that contains fascinating articles, op-eds, and interviews that provide practical guidance for collective action to build a fairer, greener future.
Milwaukee Sets Sights on a Million Residents
Zoning reform will be key to the Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s vision to almost double the city’s population.
Federal Union: Remote Work Is Climate-Friendly
Federal workers are pushing back on a return to the office, citing the environmental benefits of eliminating daily commuting.
Financial Dire Straights for L.A.’s Skid Row Housing Trust
Terrible news about the financial situation at one of L.A.’s most prominent homeless service providers broke earlier this month.
Op-Ed: San Francisco’s Downtown Plan Nothing Revelatory
Mayor London Breed’s newest proposal for revitalizing downtown San Francisco faces some sharp criticism for offering no new solutions after the city failed to deliver on goals and recommendations made in 2020.
Jane Jacobs and Zoning
Does the work of Jane Jacobs support restrictive zoning?
Study: Extracurricular Activities Benefit Children’s Mental Health
A new study indicates that improving access to extracurricular activities (EA) may help address the growing mental health needs of children and caregivers.
Shaping a 15-Minute City Vision for Detroit and Cleveland Using Data-Assisted Modeling
How master plans in the two cities hope to transform their historic, and historically underutilized, waterfronts.
‘We Will Chicago’ Plan Adopted in the Windy City
Chicago has its first “comprehensive plan” since the 1960s, but without a land use map, the “We Will Chicago” plan is devoted more to laying out the issues and challenges facing the city than setting new policies.
Feds Could Take Back ARPA Funding in Debt Ceiling Talks
Aid dollars not yet distributed to states and cities could be part of a Congressional ‘clawback,’ prompting concern from local leaders.
How L.A. County is Ensuring Data-Informed, Equity-Driven Implementation of the American Rescue Plan
Los Angeles County has developed a series of tools to democratize data on communities most impacted by COVID-19 and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act programs and services developed to serve them.
Economic Benefits of New York City Parks
A new study by the Trust for Public Land identifies the benefits and fiscal impacts of public parks and open spaces in New York City.
HUD Grants Total $315 Million for Continuum of Care for the Unhoused
An unprecedented federal grant program, announced earlier this month, will support continuum of care for the unhoused in unsheltered and rural settings.
Exxon’s Former Houston Headquarters Could Become a Residential High Rise
The former headquarters of Humble Oil, a predecessor to Exxon, will be converted to apartments in Houston, after New York-based developers CMI Developers purchased the building with a plan for adaptive reuse.
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.
