Useful Community Development: What's New
Here are the most recent important changes to our website, including new articles, visitor questions, and editors' answers. You'll also find links to significantly revised pages and time-sensitive or short items we want to bring to your attention. Sometimes we also add short items of interest, especially time-sensitive notes about conferences, webinars, or seasons.
What is the smallest lot size we should have in our suburb?
April 15, 2024 Visitor Question: We are a typical American suburb developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Our climate is moderate and our city is thriving economically.
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What should we do about an ugly bioswale?
April 19, 2024 Visitor Question: Our town wanted to have some better flood control along a creek that is ordinarily very small. The problem is that
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Project Selection in Neighborhood Associations
Many neighborhood associations should limit their activities to sharpen their focus. However, some community organizations need more projects to add excitement.
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Gentrification in City Neighborhoods, Its Causes and Effects
Gentrification is the process of neighborhoods becoming unaffordable to those who currently live there. This page shows strategies to prevent displacement.
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Learn How Neighborhood Plans Lead to Clarity and Action
Neighborhood plans work wonders if you need to solidify residents or your city around specific goals. Find out what it takes to prepare one.
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How can we reduce minor traffic accidents in the neighborhood?
Visitor Question: The craziest thing is happening around here. In the last couple of years we are having way too many fender benders in our neighborhood.
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Strip Mall Redevelopment: A Current and Future Land Use Challenge
Strip mall redevelopment will increase in importance for residents and neighborhoods, as vacancy rates and suburban blight increase. Read what to do next.
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Code officer ignores my written complaints
Visitor Question: A wealthy and gregarious neighbor has SCHMOOZED the code officer into looking the other way on his development. I have filed several
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Useful Community Development Newsletter Archive
The Useful Community Development Plus newsletter archive contains back issues featuring original articles and resources for neighborhood and city leaders.
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What are some transportation strategies for the disabled
Visitor Question: What are some of the best ways for communities to address the transportation needs of people who are disabled, or differently abled?
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Spring Newsletter Ideas to Brighten Up Your Neighborhood Messaging
These spring newsletter ideas are clustered into eleven themes to make your neighborhood e-mail composition chores easier.
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High Cost of Flood Insurance Is Ruining Our Neighborhood
Visitor Question: The cost of flood insurance has just about tripled in the last year around where I live. We did have a destructive flash flood that was
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What does blue infrastructure mean?
Visitor Question: At our town's zoning commission meeting, I heard some visiting big shot talk about how we need to preserve and enhance our blue infrastructure.
How Can We Get Young People Interested in Voting?
Visitor Question: Our little suburb has been plagued with some terrible elected city council people for several years now. Every time there is an election
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Higher Education and Economic Development Agencies Can Partner
A community can rev up the links between higher education and economic development. Here are some ideas about how.
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