Community Development
30 articles
What Is the Historical Significance of Local Landmarks?
Rehabilitation projects create 186 jobs elsewhere in the economy for every 100 jobs generated by new construction, according to the Preservation Society.
Premier Pools Siouxland boosts local economy with business spotlight
Premier Pools Siouxland recently announced a $500,000 investment into local infrastructure projects, a sum that far exceeds typical business contributions and marks the largest single private donation
Planning Cultural Festivals: Engagement & Mitigating Risks
Some communities report a significant increase in undesirable activities as a direct result of their cultural festivals, creating unforeseen challenges for local residents.
Austin nonprofit buys Frank Lloyd Wright's J.J. Walser House
A West Side Chicago nonprofit, Austin Coming Together, purchased a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home for just $125,000.
What Is Community Engagement and How Can Local Events Boost It?
A single local festival can directly stimulate tourism and business growth across an entire region, transforming community fun into a tangible economic boom.
What is zoning and how does it impact community development?
In many communities, the very laws designed to protect property values and ensure orderly development are simultaneously making homes unaffordable and reinforcing historical patterns of segregation.
What Are Local Zoning Laws and How Can Citizens Influence Them?
Despite countless public meetings and petitions, local residents cannot directly write, change, or expand the zoning laws dictating their neighborhoods’ development.
Community Housing: Designing for Senior Well-being
In Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood, a $27 million, 61-unit apartment building is rising, marking the first major development by the city's housing authority in an area often overlooked.
How to Use Infill Development: A Guide for Local Governments
In Toronto, the 69-acre Regent Park site transformed into a high-density, mixed-income community.
How to Engage With Local Community Initiatives
Most factors influencing community engagement relate to project organization, not community engagement itself, according to a study published in PMC .
Lehigh University boosts Lehigh Valley impact in 2026
In FY 2023–24, Lehigh University injected an astonishing $376.
What is Local Historic Designation and Why Does It Matter?
National Register Historic Districts, despite their prestigious title, provide no protections from demolition or inappropriate development by private property owners.
Santa Monica's Tourism Boom Threatens Neighborhoods, But a Solution Exists.
Despite generating an estimated $917 million in annual spending for its local economy, Santa Monica faces a projected structural General Fund operating deficit of $29.
Role of Neighborhood Associations in Oklahoma City
In Oklahoma City, local neighborhood groups, often dismissed as mere social clubs, are demonstrably boosting resident engagement with city hall and improving overall community contentment.
Neighborhoods Can't Balance History and Modernity Without Comprehensive Plans
In Excelsior, Minnesota, a proposal to redevelop the historic Dock Cinema property has sparked a heated debate, not over whether to preserve history, but over how much of it can be sacrificed for futu
Red Line extension breaks ground on Chicago's South Side
On April 24, the Chicago Transit Authority broke ground on a 5.5-mile Red Line extension.
How to Choose a Neighborhood: Financial Stability and Hidden Costs
In some predominantly Black neighborhoods, residents may pay significantly higher auto insurance premiums than those in predominantly white areas, even if their driving records are identical, accordin
What Is the Role of Neighborhood Associations in Community Development?
Average community event meeting attendance and engagement have dropped in recent years, signaling a quiet crisis for local civic life.
What Are the Benefits of Walkability in Urban Planning?
While a new park might seem like a simple amenity, it can quietly add millions to nearby commercial property values.
Historic neighborhoods are cheaper and denser than new urban development.
In San Diego, historic districts are nearly twice as dense as other residential neighborhoods, challenging the conventional wisdom that new construction is the sole path to urban density.
What is Heritage Tourism and Why Does it Matter for Local Societies?
$1.3 billion in taxes and over 105,000 jobs: that's the annual economic footprint of heritage tourism in Virginia alone, according to heritage tourism data. This sector, driven by visits to historical
Local Action to Boost Civic Engagement & Resilience in 2026
In a recent experiment, simply asking participants to consider their feelings about their town increased donations to local problems by a remarkable 600%.
What is the role of local business associations in community development?
For every dollar spent at a local independent business, 48 cents is recirculated directly back into the local economy.
Midwest Main Streets: Thriving But Facing Challenges
In Galena, Illinois, a beloved family bakery, a Main Street fixture for 70 years, recently shut its doors.
Stable local funding for public services is at risk.
Despite approving a preliminary subdivision for a 22-unit residential development, the City of Statesboro extended the spend-down date on a $1 million Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank grant
How Network Structure Boosts Civic Engagement & Development
Community initiatives boost civic engagement and development through the hidden power of network structure and strategic network design.
How Historic Preservation Status Benefits Properties and Drives Economic Growth
By 1966, half of the historic places documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) had already been destroyed or damaged beyond repair, according to NPS .
What are the benefits of designating a local historic district?
The average current value of houses in Baltimore's local historic districts exceeds twice the average value found in the rest of the city.
How Do Local Planning Boards Guide Development and Zoning?
In Covington, Tennessee, obtaining detailed descriptions of local zoning districts requires a written request to a city official and may even incur a fee, highlighting significant barriers to understa
Economic Development Shifts Support Local Business Resilience
In Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, the city invested $4.5 million to open a 25,000-square-foot Small Business Center, a dedicated co-working space and incubator for local entrepreneurs.