This list of web pages includes topics on community planning. Since it was created years ago, some of the topics may now be dated. However, most have relevancy.
( Note: Not all these pages link back to the Rivertown Home Page .)

Explore useful Applications .

Rivertown Simulation
. . . People in Rivertown

Background Information on Downtowns
. . Brief history of downtowns
. . . . Kansas City's Country Club Plaza

Profiles of Downtown Organizations
. . Profile of city government
. . . . Process of local government
. . . . Security and police
. . . . Consolidated Metropolitan Government
. . . . Scottsdale's One-Stop Services Center
. . Profile of planning department
. . . . "The Plan's the Thing"
. . . . Reasons to plan
. . . . 5 tools of planning
. . . . Petition to a planning department
. . . . The downtown master plan
. . . . The new master plan
. . . . Planning department organizational chart
. . . . The planning commission
. . Profile of a downtown development authority
. . . . DDA financial chart
. . Profile of historic district commission
. . . . HDCs compared
. . Profile of merchants association
. . Profile of investors
. . Profile of shoppers
. . Profile of residents
. . . . Public involvement
. . . . How to get what you want
. . . . Conducting surveys
. . . . Developing a survey

Problems In Downtowns
. . Are downtowns obsolete?
. . "Main Street is dead."
. . . . William Whyte's view of downtowns
. . Urban sprawl and transportation
. . . . Automobiles and pedestrians
. . . . Parking in downtown
. . . . "Need more parking?"
. . . . Parking
. . . . Pedestrians and downtowns
. . . . Edge cities
. . . . The "neotraditional" perspective
. . . . "Urban Networks"
. . The impact of Wal-Mart on downtowns
. . . . Kenneth Stone study of Wal-Mart
. . . . Strategies to cope with Wal-Mart
. . . . Case study: Wal-Mart in Carroll, Iowa
. . . . Impact of Wal-Mart in Michigan
. . Competition from malls
. . . . Downtowns are different from malls
. . . . What can be learned from malls?
. . . . Problems of small retailers
. . . . Successful retail
. . . . Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
. . Problems with zoning
. . . . Brief history of zoning
. . . . Legal aspects of zoning
. . . . Discriminatory aspects of zoning
. . . . Conclusions on zoning
. . . . Zoning versus the master plan
. . . . Leon Krier on zoning
. . . . Zoning for downtowns
. . . . Performance zoning
. . . . Zoning for adult sex businesses
. . Historic preservation and downtowns
. . . . Preservation and revitalization
. . . . Advantages of historic preservation
. . . . Historic districts: concerns and comments
. . . . Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehab
. . . . Economic benefits of preservation
. . . . Investing in historic buildings
. . . . Adaptive use
. . . . Historic easements
. . . . Transfer of development rights (TDR) programs
. . . . Rehabilitation investment tax credits
. . The Main Street Program
. . . . Main St. Program: Lessons learned
. . . . Organizing the downtown
. . . . Business owners association
. . . . The role of banks
. . . . Promoting the downtown
. . . . Design issues
. . . . Design guidelines
. . . . Design review boards
. . . . Design charrettes
. . . . Rural/Urban Design Assistance Teams (R/UDATs)
. . Financial incentives
. . . . Economic development
. . . . Land assembly
. . . . Sewers and development
. . . . Enterprise Zones
. . . . Backshops
. . . . Property tax abatements
. . . . Two-tier taxation
. . . . Tax increment financing
. . . . Advantages/disadvantages of TIFs
. . . . Case study: Minneapolis TIF
. . . . Market analysis
. . . . Market area analysis
. . . . Hyett-Palma analysis
. . . . Investing in real estate
. . . . Pro Forma analysis
. . . . Deciding to buy real estate
. . . . Rapid approval process
. . . . Job training
. . . . Writing grant proposals

Revitalization Strategies
. . Reasons to revitalize
. . Physical improvement strategies
. . . . Streetscape improvements
. . . . Pedestrian malls
. . . . Underground malls
. . . . Waterfront revitalization
. . . . Brownfields
. . . . Design charrettes
. . Case Studies
. . . . Horton Plaza
. . . . Real Estate Investment
. . . . Dowagiac, Michigan
. . . . Seattle: Pike Place Market
. . . . Union Station
. . . . Pittsburgh: Station Square
. . . . Pioneer Square
. . . . Camden Yards
. . . . Los Angeles: Universal City Walk
. . . . Houston: The Galleria Mall
. . . . Chicago: Navy Pier
. . . . Plaza Pasadena
. . . . Minneapolis Skywalks
. . . . New York City: South Street Seaport
. . . . Baltimore: Inner Harbor
. . . . Tower City
. . . . Aerotropolis
. . Functional strategies
. . . . Business mix
. . . . Improving business mix
. . . . Downtown housing
. . . . Casino gambling
. . Other revitalization strategies
. . . . Winter cities
. . Review of revitalization strategies
. . . . Review of physical strategies
. . . . Tyler Study of downtowns
. . . . The need for more study of downtowns
. . . . Bibliography on downtowns