Social / Demographics

Engineering Civic Action Projects (ENCAP)

With Resources Scarce, Bridge-Builders Cultivate Creativity

Innovation means different things to different people. For Bridges to Prosperity (B2P), a nonprofit that builds footbridges in the developing world, it’s a way to help people thrive despite limited resources.

June 28, 2017 - Doggerel

Ballard neighborhood, Seattle

Black Home Ownership Rates in Seattle's King County Continue to Shrink

King County, Washington was once home to a large number of black homeowners, today the county lags far behind the rest of the country.

June 28, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Vancouver Skyline Bikes

Overcoming Density Opponents by Listening to Them

Urbanist Brent Toderian does not begrudge NIMBYs; he values them. In an interview with David Roberts of Vox, he explains that the problem doesn't lie with development opponents as much as it does with the decision-makers.

June 21, 2017 - Vox

Redlining Map

Mapping the Tools of Discrimination

The Innovations in Government Program at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation has announced the first winner of the "Map of the Month" contest.

June 21, 2017 - Data-Smart City Solutions

Pedestrian Danger

Complete Streets Policies Still Seeking Equity

Though the quick expansion of complete streets policies is worth celebrating, minority and low-income communities are still being left behind, and killed at a disproportionate rate.

June 21, 2017 - The Urban Edge

Wood Construction

Construction, Hospitality Sectors Reporting Workforce Shortages in Texas

Texas has doubled down on the Trump Administration's deportation policies, and business leaders from several sectors in the state are starting to speak up about the policy's effects on the workforce.

June 20, 2017 - AP via Southeastern Missourian

Fast Food Restaurants

Transportation Access, Inactivity, and Obesity Play a Role in Cancer Deaths

As smoking related cancer deaths decline, other unhealthy lifestyle choices are quickly replacing it as a leading causes of cancer.

June 13, 2017 - USA Today

The Silent Expansion of Fiscal Control Boards in the U.S.

The power and process of boards that take control of a city or territory's finances is becoming more generalized, although they affect local democracy, impose austerity measures without controls, and lack mechanisms to evaluate their efficiency.

June 11, 2017 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Suburban Seattle

Seattle's Cup Runneth Over: Suburb Launches Long-Range Transit Plan to Handle Growth

The city of Everett is expecting a 60 percent jump in population by 2035, most of which will be focused in its city center. All of those people will also need an efficient and useful citywide transit system.

June 9, 2017 - The Urbanist

New York City

What's the Matter With the Upper East Side?

In a free market, the richest neighborhoods would ordinarily be the most popular. But some well-off urban neighborhoods are actually losing population. Why?

June 9, 2017 - Michael Lewyn

Embarcadero

Report Ranks the World's Leading Cities: Now and in the Future

New York is the most important city in the world, but San Francisco is best positioned for the future, according to AT Kearney's "Global Cities" report.

June 8, 2017 - World Economic Forum

New Jersey History

New Jersey Mosque Beats 'Discriminatory' Zoning

A proposed mosque in Bernards Township will move forward, after the DOJ sued the town for using zoning ordinances to undermine Muslims' religious freedom.

June 7, 2017 - The Atlantic

High Line with Denari

'The New Urban Crisis' and the High Line

A PBS NewsHour two-fer: an interview of urbanologist Richard Florida conducted in a walking tour of New York's famed High Line in the gentrifying West Chelsea neighborhood, a fitting backdrop for his new book, "The New Urban Crisis."

June 5, 2017 - PBS NewsHour

Rural Schoolhouse

Explained: The Many Definitions of Rural

Wisconsin provides a case study in the varied methods for defining rural, and why that matters. "Rural is not simple to define, perhaps because the real question is rural for what purpose?"

June 3, 2017 - WisContext

Ontario

New Report Plans Toronto at Kid Scale

Toronto has released draft urban design guidelines that put families with children at the center of the city.

June 2, 2017 - Next City

Infill Comes to Atlanta's Single-Family Neighborhoods

The Atlanta metropolitan area is facing an estimated 2.5 million new residents by 2040. Some current residents are surprised at some of the neighborhoods accommodating that growth.

June 2, 2017 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

LIRR Train

How Long Island Transit Segregates By Class

Long Island's two major transit services, MTA's LIRR trains and the NICE bus system, are less coordinated than they could be. This has a big impact on ease of movement for low-income residents.

June 1, 2017 - StreetsBlog NYC

Gentrification

Who's To Blame For Gentrification?

Journalist Peter Markowitz has written a provocative, and profoundly disingenuous, analysis of the causes and effects of gentrification in American cities. He sows division at a time that requires collaboration, writes Josh Stephens.

May 31, 2017 - California Planning & Development Report

Seattle

Seattle and Silicon Valley: Joined at the Hip?

Tech thrives on connection, and America's west coast tech hubs are more connected than ever before. But Seattleites aren't in a rush to abandon their city's distinctiveness.

May 31, 2017 - The Economist

Leave it to beaver house

How American Homeownership Fosters Inequality

Matthew Desmond, author of "Evicted," looks at the lives of Americans across the economic spectrum to gain insight into how homeownership, mainly through the mortgage tax deduction, keeps the U.S. unequal.

May 31, 2017 - The New York Times

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.