Insights

Placemaking & revitalization

Map with a magnifying glass selecting road detail

Tracking Active Transportation Improvements with GIS

by Reece Neathery

Transparent and well-documented implementation is key to the success of long-term planning efforts. GIS is an especially effective tool for tracking specific, place-based projects, including infrastructure and mobility improvements. Regional organizations and governments in places like Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and Seattle are using GIS maps to enhance accountability and ensure stakeholders can see tangible progress across multiple plans and agencies.

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Placemaking for Innovation

by Erica Colston

While it is often overlooked, placemaking has emerged as an essential factor in building successful innovation ecosystems. Erica Colston’s latest post explores two innovation hubs—North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park and Pegasus Park in Dallas, Texas—to illustrate how placemaking strategies have adapted to succeed in today’s innovation environment.

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Volunteers working in a community garden

Intent, Impact, Outcomes, and Placemaking

by Mishka Parkins

The process of placemaking is a means to bridge gaps across racial and socioeconomic lines, expand access to economic opportunity, and foster social inclusion within communities. These outcomes, however, require intentional efforts and a commitment to tackle unintentional practices that lead to division, creating unequal access to amenities, public spaces, and prosperity.

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Capital Area Rural System van

Microtransit for Rural America

by Ajay Kasturirangan

Rural America faces disparities in access to essential services and opportunities compared to urban areas. While the percentage of households without vehicles is similar across rural and urban regions, the income gap is substantial, highlighting the need for affordable and equitable mobility solutions. Could microtransit offer a promising solution to address this challenge?

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Highline Park in NYC, a repurposed railroad bridge

Creating Place-Based Economic Impacts Through Adaptive Reuse

by Jenn Todd-Goynes, CNU-A

Rising office vacancy rates following the COVID-19 pandemic have renewed conversations about the role of adaptive reuse. Jenn Todd-Goynes highlights notable examples of communities that have brought together public and private interests to transform vacant sites and underutilized assets into quality places that generate positive impacts and provide preferred destinations for people, businesses, and visitors.

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Placemaking Through Open Streets

by Reece Neathery

Open streets policies put in place by some communities to ease the burden of restrictions on gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic have been extended from temporary solutions to permanent programs. The success of these policies in cities like Houston, Seattle, and Ann Arbor has demonstrated the value of intentionally shaping the built environment to promote social interaction and create vibrant public spaces.

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Policy Tools to Increase Housing Supply and Improve Affordability

by Victoria Wilson

The super-heated housing market that dominated headlines and led to sky-high housing prices during the COVID-19 pandemic has cooled. Yet, higher home prices relative to pre-pandemic levels and reduced affordability have lingered, pointing to a continued housing shortage. The implications for talent and business recruitment and retention make this topic a central concern for economic development practitioners.

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San Luis Obispo with a mountain in the background.

Sustainability and Economic Development as Mutually Reinforcing Priorities

by Mishka Parkins

Faced with unprecedented environmental challenges, the integration of climate sustainability into economic development planning has increased in urgency for many practitioners. As part of TIP’s work with the City of San Luis Obispo, California, Mishka Parkins gained a first-hand perspective on how this integration can be accomplished and the opportunities a sustainability focus can create.

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