Rounding out our series of examples of infrastructure elements that are not at all boring, check out these. Below is a really easy project, painting a traffic control or utility box. Landscaping on the left adds softness.

Lastly, here's another idea for a great bench in an awkwardly shaped public plaza. This one is in Melk, Austria.

Here are the new pages we've built by answering questions from our readers:

What is my recourse if the city wants to change residential zoning to agricultural?

Should only the residents of a village sign a petition about a subject that impacts two villages?

We rewrote our page on location quotients entirely, due to change in the way the U.S. government presents data. A location quotient is a measure of how your local economy compares with that of the state or nation. If your employment in a particular economic sector lags that of your state or nation, that may represent an area of growth for you. Conversely, sometimes local cities and counties want to grow even more concentration in an area of special economic strength.

We thought this article on 9 ways to make cities better was a delight.

If you are interested in interrupting the cycle of escalating housing costs, check out this article from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on zoning reforms to help ease the housing shortage or affordability crisis. The article supports a round of grant funding, with proposals due in late October.

Recent wildfire, flooding, and storm damage property losses make this article on reducing homeowner exposure to climate-related natural disasters seem most timely.

We will return with the next issue of Community Development Plus on a Thursday in October. Feel free to reply to this email if you have a comment. For questions, please use the public-facing page to ask your question. We answer them on a page that becomes viewable on our website.