June 1, 2017
The Transportation Side Effects of 'The Great Inversion'
Low pay and long, pricey commutes often go hand in hand.
April 12, 2017
Have States Lost Their Place as Labs of Democracy?
Experts say cities will be the new place for innovative policy. But there are two reasons that might not happen.
February 13, 2017
A Low-Cost Solution to Traffic
Instead of building expensive roads, we should be building housing that limits how far people have to drive in the first place.
December 1, 2016
How Can Cities Get Denser and Sprawl at the Same Time?
There’s a dispute about whether the movement toward city living is real. But this either/or battle is a distraction.
October 17, 2016
Are Cities Growing or Not?
As it turns out, there is no one answer.
August 18, 2016
To Subsidize Development or Not?
Often-uninformed city leaders struggle with the decision, and taxpayers pay the price for their lack of financial knowledge.
June 10, 2016
The Urbanization of the 'Burbs
Regardless of where they live, urban amenities are no longer a bonus but a requirement for many millennials.
April 26, 2016
In Defense of the Urban Freeway
There's a push to tear them down. But they're one of the biggest things driving the urban renaissance.
February 1, 2016
Why We Shouldn't Let the Sharing Economy Kill Zoning
The sharing economy is challenging the demand for land-use regulations, but they're still necessary.
December 1, 2015
When Less (Regulation) Is More
A solution to a decades-old parking problem in one city shows how others can harness the power of market economics.
October 1, 2015
To Help Poor Neighborhoods, Urban Planners Have to Do More Than Urban Planning
They can't just improve the physical environment if they want to revitalize poverty-stricken areas.
August 1, 2015
Drowning in Data, Cities Need Help
Urban planners have historically had to do their jobs with only the dimmest understanding of what’s going on. Now they have more information than they can handle.
June 1, 2015
Are Millennials Really More Urban Than Previous Generations?
Most of them actually live in the suburbs.
April 1, 2015
The Future of Parking in an Era of Car-Sharing
Services like Uber and Zipcar could radically change city streets.
February 1, 2015
Houston: From Sprawl to City
Once wide open and famous for sprawl, the Texas city is becoming increasingly crowded and expensive.
September 1, 2013
Goodbye Governing, Hello San Diego
After 26 years, this journalist will stop writing and start doing in San Diego as the city’s newest urban planner.
April 30, 2013
Is Texas’ Economy Really Better Than California’s?
Gov. Rick Perry often touts Texas’ economic success, which he attributes to lower taxes and fewer regulations than cash-strapped California. But if Texas is so compelling, why did Perry go to California looking for new companies?
February 28, 2013
Why States Keep Playing the Losing Tax-Incentive Game
Elected officials and experts aren’t sure if tax breaks actually create jobs. So why do they keep offering millions of dollars worth of subsidies to companies?
December 28, 2012
Sandy Forces Northeast to Rethink Infrastructure
In an effort to emerge more resilient and prosperous, states and localities are rethinking power grids, roads and sewers in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.
October 31, 2012
Do Millennials Want to Call Your City ‘Home’?
Millions of millennials will soon be putting down roots. Cities and suburbs that are less attractive to them have a limited window to turn things around.
August 31, 2012
University Business Parks Model North Carolina State’s Centennial Campus
The campus throws academics, nonprofits and businesses together to facilitate the constant and intense interaction required to bring research breakthroughs to market.
June 29, 2012
Rick Snyder Takes a Venture Capitalist’s Approach to Governing Michigan
The governor is redirecting economic development incentives. Will it work?
April 30, 2012
Silicon Valley Considers Personal Rapid Transit System
Can an innovative transit idea keep Silicon Valley -- home to tech giants like Google and Microsoft -- from choking on congestion? Or is the answer to their problems much simpler?
February 29, 2012
Redevelopment Financing Gets an Overhaul in California
The governor eliminated the state’s redevelopment agencies -- and the way it funds urban revitalization. Now the Golden State must find new money sources.
January 1, 2012
Cities Push the Business ‘Start-up’ Envelope
The business incubator is no longer a new idea. Cities are pursuing business accelerators, a kind of incubator on steroids.
October 31, 2011
Should Government Spend or Invest Money?
In order to ensure long-term economic prosperity, states and localities should focus on investment.
August 31, 2011
Jobs Aren’t Enough
Economic development’s key measure of success is not the only approach to turning lagging economies into prosperous communities.
June 30, 2011
Tax Credit or Tax Cut?
Political rhetoric comes down to being for or against taxes with little discussion about their effect on economic development.
April 29, 2011
Economic Development in the 1099 Economy
Temporary work is becoming the norm. Economic developers must change their focus if they want to create jobs in this new economy.
February 28, 2011
The Economic Development President
In his State of the Union speech, President Obama was using the language of economic investment -- language mayors and governors use all the time.
January 1, 2011
Young Professionals Return Home, and Stay
Cities are launching "boomerang" efforts to bring their young professionals back home.
November 1, 2010
The Search for Infrastructure-Driven Transformation
There are infrastructure projects, and then there are infrastructure projects that transform.
September 1, 2010
Measuring Economic Development Without Depending on Jobs
Can you have economic development without job growth?
Long-Term Remedies for Slumping Sales Tax Revenues
Short-term gimmicks to boost local sales tax revenue aren't working anymore.
Lending a Small Hand
A revived Small Business Administration is good news for local government.
Do Environmental Regulations Hurt the Economy?
Environmental regulations have transformed California's economy but it's not always clear if the result was positive.
Eminent Domain Outrage in Connecticut
A pharmaceutical giant bugs out, leaving a struggling town without any of the touted tax benefits or job creation.
Community Colleges: Today's Best Source for Job Training?
Academics still matter, but technical knowledge may matter more.
Economic Planning: More than One Agency Can Handle
There is a good lesson in the travails of a mammoth New York agency.
New Rules for Hard Times
Manufacturing is down even in China. Now what?
Why the Shovels Matter
The time to do strategic thinking is before you need to.
The Dying Auto Mall
The sale of cars isn't a public cash cow anymore.
Going for an Upturn
There's a calculus for figuring out what a state or locality can do to prime the development pump.
Down on the Farm
As an economic development strategy, agriculture usually looks like a loser.
Romancing the Factory
Forget about the brightly lit movie complex and pedestrian shopping patterns. The New Economy isn't for everyone.
A New Urbanist's Dream
To succeed, airports will have to provide travelers with many business services that are accessible without a car.
The Desert Driver
Commuters are infringing on resort communities, making it hard to keep cheap housing around for local workers.
Warming Up to BRAC
When the Pentagon targets a base near you, it could translate into serious economic opportunities.
The New Industrial Age
Cities on the cutting edge of the new economy are taking steps to retain their stock of industrial land.
Hyping the Hip
Cities need to attract both the "creative class" and blue-collar manufacturing to survive in the 21st century.
The Rich Get Richer
For states and cities, the trick is to capture the wealth when and where it's created and put it to long-term use locally.
Reversing the Brain Drain
Cities are starting to use scholarships to local colleges to keep
promising young people from moving away.
The Retirement Factory
Building a local economy around retirees may seem like the perfect growth formula, but it has its flaws.
A Business Decision
When it comes to making loans to local companies, should a city act like a banker or a venture capitalist?
Stuck at Home
A vibrant local economy needs a good supply of housing for sale at lots of price points. But that's not what's happening right now.
This Old Factory
In a number of states, there's starting to be pushback against
rezoning industrial land for housing.
Go Global, Act Local
The best trade missions aren't really trade missions at all.
Increasingly, the goal is not to sell or trade but to learn.
The China Connection
The Asian giant isn't stealing our manufacturing jobs. The jobs,
themselves, are evaporating.
Nerdistan or Not
The latest wave of research parks have a different connection to the
global economy and the small tech companies they serve.
A Season to Swarm
Policy wonks are having a field day with creative ideas to rebuild the
Gulf Coast. But action is likely to be the same old-same old.
When Brac Comes Calling
Nothing is more political or emotional than base closures. But in the
end, how much does it really matter?
Blindsided & Bummed About It
Here's a simple definition of business-friendly: Tell me what the
rules are up front and then apply them fairly.
The Stimulator
President Bush's proposal to change the way urban grants work raises
questions about local economic development that have been ignored for
too long.
May 1, 2005
Refugee Renewal
Absorbing the displaced from overseas can be a tough urban task. But
for a city in decline, it can be an unexpected opportunity.
Pushback Time
Economic development officials may be going too far and being too
secretive in their deal making.
Upping the Ante
California's stem-cell gamble could profoundly alter the stakes for
creating jobs and business opportunities in a state.
December 1, 2004
Open Innovation
R&D has evolved from a private company effort to a collaboration
between private, public and academic partners.
October 1, 2004
The Panacea Patrol
A fresh idea about how to stimulate local economies is fueling a
debate about whether it can solve all problems.
August 1, 2004
Living the Niche Life
Building housing downtown is the latest trend, but it's hardly the
return to the past that people think it is.
June 1, 2004
The Job Hunt
The two-tier economy seems more of a reality in the America of today
than it has in almost a century.
February 1, 2004
Big-Box Blues
A Wal-Mart grocery invasion could be very bad news for cities and the
tax revenue they get from local supermarkets.
December 1, 2003
In The Zone
A new study finds that state enterprise zones don't do much good,
partly because they suffer from fuzzy policy goals.
October 1, 2003
The Spawning Spark
Knowing how startups are born is vital to economic development:
Entrepreneurs drive a lot of opportunities.
August 1, 2003
Creating A Land Boom
Some older cities are playing with an idea that would encourage
landowners to develop or sell their 'fallow' lots.
June 1, 2003
Making Work
A new study suggests that state and local tax incentives for existing
businesses don't create new jobs.
December 1, 2002
Angel at the Airport
Wichita is providing a discount air carrier with a $5 million subsidy
in an effort to bring cheaper air service to its airport.
October 1, 2002
The Clawback Clause
If a company getting tax breaks doesn't deliver the goods, should the
state or locality involved demand its money back?
August 1, 2002
Paying the Hotel Bill
Increasingly, cities and development authorities are building and
owning the hotels that support their convention centers.
June 1, 2002
The 21st Century Ltd.
California's freight corridor is a prime example of the most important
kind of development projects our cities will see.
April 1, 2002
Growth Without Growth
A new, provocative report finds places where the economy is growing
strong even though the population isn't.
February 1, 2002
Twin Towers' Afterglow
While a new project will rise on the site of ground zero, the Twin
Towers' legacy survives throughout metropolitan New York.
December 1, 2001
Growing Pangs
There's been a lot of hand wringing in my hometown. Our second largest
private employer is leaving.
October 1, 2001
A Rural Knockout
The rapidly changing relationship between prosperous U.S. cities and
their traditional hinterlands is creating 21st-century problems.
August 1, 2001
Getting the Job Done
It's become good politics in urban areas to advocate `skills training'
for immigrant groups, even if the skills are pretty basic.
June 1, 2001
The e-Archivers List
When it comes to the New Economy, no metropolitan area is without
assets--and precious few have a monopoly on success.
April 1, 2001
The Not-So-Boring Basics
Even in the era of the New Economy, a successful economic development
strategy still depends on plain ol' infrastructure.
February 1, 2001
Big-Box Food Fights
There's a looming battle over groceries, but the battleground itself
is the local government land-use approval process.
December 1, 2000
Local Hero V. Regional Champ
Very often, a big development project achieves regional goals but does
so by flattening a local community. Or vice versa.
October 1, 2000
Will Retail Still Rule?
How the Internet tax war plays out will have a major role in
determining future economic development strategies.
August 1, 2000
Mutual Attraction
The popular perception may be that all the jobs are moving to the
suburbs. But the statistical data show otherwise.
June 1, 2000
Playing Off History
The charming but non-functioning Erie Canal could be the foundation
for economic revival in Upstate New York.
April 1, 2000
The Fedex Story
Why did a fledging overnight-delivery company relocate in Memphis--and
what does it take to keep it there?