Resources

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What WDC is Reading…  

ON-LINE JOURNALISM   

 

Produced by Bloomberg Media, CityLab is committed to telling the story of the world’s cities: how they work, the challenges they face, and the solutions they need.   Key topics areas include design, transportation, environment, equity and city life.    Richard Florida is co-founder and editor-at-large.

 

Curbed provides local real estate coverage in 14 American cities on dedicated sites and a flagship national site that covers trends.   The platform has been an integral part of the online real estate news landscape since 2004.  Curbed’s mission is to advocate for the places where people live, by celebrating, chronicling, and explaining everything about homes, neighborhoods, and cities.
Follow past WDC Speaker Alissa Walker, Curbed’s National Urbanism Editor.   She authors the column “Word on the Street,” highlighting pioneering transit, clever civic design, and game-changing policy in U.S. cities.  See her piece, “Mansplaining the City” (8/16/17), for a discussion of gender and professional women’s voices in the larger urban conversation.

 

Next City provides daily online coverage of the leaders, policies and innovations driving progress in metropolitan regions across the world.  Its best stories have been assembled into eBooks organized by topic, curated and well-packaged.  Topics cover transit, urban design.  Recent stories are arranged by topics of Tech, Culture, Economics, Infrastructure and Politics for easy access.

 

The planning news website, featuring articles, op-eds, jobs, courses, and information for the planning, design, and development community.   Planetizen publishes an annual top ten books list covering subjects of planning, design, and development.

 

Urban Land Institute’s flagship magazine covering real estate and urban development topics.  The online version sorts articles by industry sector, trends, capital markets, sustainability, development, planning/design, Inside ULI and ULI Europe. 

 

PODCASTS 

Technopolis - CityLab/Bloomberg Media

Technology is reshaping the way people live and work in cities. But these changes often happen without public permission—or even public knowledge. Who is all this tech for? How will it transform our streets in ways we aren’t expecting? And which innovations will actually improve our quality of life? Hosted by urban innovation professor Molly Turner and startup advisor Jim Kapsis, Technopolis explores what needs to change for tech to help solve more problems than it creates.  

Placemakers - Slate  

Placemakers episodes focused on one project, one person or one city.  From Jane Jacobs to Missoula, Montana, the show addresses urban issues from fighting blight, reimaging the suburbs, to designing walkable places across the country, with a thoughtful perspective.   Placemakers is hosted by Rebecca Sheir, host and reporter on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Marketplace, Here and Now, The Splendid Table. 

99 Percent Invisible - Radiotopia 

99% Invisible is a highly regarded weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture. From award-winning producer Roman Mars, each episode generally focuses on a single topic or specific example of design, often including interviews with architects, experts, or people who have been influenced by the design. 

Planet Money - NPR 

“Imagine you could call up a friend and say, ‘Meet me at the bar and tell me what’s going on with the economy.’ Now imagine that’s actually a fun evening. That’s what we’re going for at Planet Money.”  Although not strictly focused on real estate and urban issues, this award-winning show offers relevant episodes included explorations into housing vouchers, economic development incentives and other city-related topics.  

Third Wave Urbanism – Medium Corporation 

Hosted by two women urbanists in an informal, conversational style, the show discusses issues of livable urbanism, applied anthropology, and solutions that create happier and healthier cities for humans.   The hosts are Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman and Kristen Jeffers.  Johnston-Zimmerman is an urban anthropologist and the director of THINK.urban in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Previously, she has worked for Project for Public Spaces and City ID, and conducted an ethnography of the Occupy Portland camps.   Jeffers is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Black Urbanist.  She studied public affairs and community and economic development.  She has spoken on civic pride, cultural diversity, and the power of grassroots in communities, and has been featured in numerous publications. 

Leading Voices – ULI   

The Leading Voices with ULI podcast series finds inspiration urban development professionals around the globe who are passionate about improving the places where we live, work, and play. The podcasts feature interviews with innovative leaders in the real estate, land use, and policy space, and explore the compelling personal stories that fuel their work. Interviews tap into the successes, failures, and pivot points in the guests’ lives to reveal the leadership lessons learned along the way.   

 

Local Podcasts - These podcasts cover urban history, local politics, and today’s thorny development issues such as transportation and gentrification, often from a breaking news, on-the-ground perspective.  

Charlotte:  FAQ City - WFAE 

WFAE’s FAQ City is an online, broadcast and podcast series that invites the community to help shape the station’s news coverage. Community members pose a question, vote on which question gets answered next and WFAE investigates.  FAQ City episodes cover real estate and urban development issues. 

Chicago: CuriousCity - WBEZ 

WBEZ's Curious City lets the public choose the stories covered.  Listeners share what's got them curious about Chicago, the region and its people and WBEZ answers.   This podcast serves up a wide range of topics including urban development history and redevelopment.  

 DC: Metropocalypse – WAMU  

Metropocalypse explored the new normal of explosions and smoked-filled tunnels in Washington’s Metro – and the unprecedented plan to rebuild tracks and re-engineer culture on the nation's second largest transit system.   

 LA/NYC:  There Goes the Neighborhood – KCRW & WNYC Studios 

A bi-coastal podcast about how gentrification is playing out in the high-cost markets of Los Angeles and New York.

 

 Toronto:  Electric Cities – Urban Land Institute 

ULI Toronto presents Electric Cities, a podcast about land development and planning across the Toronto region. Hosted by Jeremy Warson, the podcast features conversations with leaders and experts from a wide range of disciplines.   Past topics include trends in the condo, retail, and office markets; discussions on urban design, the suburbs, housing affordability, and transit construction projects; and an interview with Richard Florida about the ‘New Urban Crisis.’ 

 

BOOKS 

REAL ESTATE/URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

  • Building Equitable Cities by Janis Bowdler, Henry Cisernos, and Jeffrey Lubell 
  • The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs 
  • How Women Saved the City by Daphne Spain 
  • Jane Jacobs: Urban Visionary by Alice Alexiou 
  • Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places by Sharon Zukin 
  • A Neighborhood That Never Changes: Gentrification, Social Preservation, and the Search for Authenticity by Japonica Brown-Saracino 
  • Power at Ground Zero: Politics, Money, and the Remaking of Lower Manhattan by Lynne B. Sagalyn 
  • Redesigning the American Dream: The Future of Housing, Work and Family Life by Dolores Hayden 
  • Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs by Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson 
  • Returns on Resilience: The Business Case By Kathleen McCormick (ULI PDF download) 
  • Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution by Janette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomonow  
  • What I Found in a Thousand Towns: A Traveling Musician's Guide to Rebuilding America's Communities: One Coffee Shop, Dog Run, and Open-Mike Night at a Time by Dar Williams 

PERSONAL/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT  

  • The Journey of Not Knowing by Julie Benezet 
  • Power, Passion and Purpose: Seven Steps to Energizing Your Life by Ann Nichols Roulac   
  • The Soul of Money by Lynn Twist  
  • Hardball for Women by Pat Heid, Tammy Hughes and Susan Golant 

 OTHER WOMEN’S VOICES: FICTION and NON-FICTION 

  • Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover 
  • Innovating Women by Vivek Wadhwa and Farai Chideya 
  • Their Eyes Are Watching God by Zora Neale Thurston  

 MEMBER & GUEST SPEAKER READING LISTS