Social / Demographics

There Goes the Neighborhood: Oh No, Not Burning Man!
Ben Brown unpacks the components of polarization. Recognizing some people are really pissed off for some really good reasons doesn’t seem to help us make better decisions, whether we’re talking about electing a president or planning a park.

101 Small Actions With Big Effects in Cities
The Curbed team has compiled a laundry list of creative and effective ways for people to give some love to their cities.
Modular Housing for Homeless in San Francisco Hits Roadblocks
Lego-type housing construction has attracted the attention of two separate developers as an efficient means to provide housing for the city's large homeless population but has met objections from labor unions and the Mayor's Office.

Aspen's Workforce Housing Buckling Under Weight of Aging Population
As residents of Aspen, Colorado's limited supply of workforce housing begin to retire, they're staying put, creating a new affordable housing crunch for younger workers.

Climate Equity Agenda Key to Passage of California's Climate Legislation
Environmental advocacy is not enough. Environmental and social justice must play a role in California's legislative effort to battle climate change, opine two professors from UC Berkeley and USC in the San Francisco Chronicle.

St. Louis Leading Large Metros in Immigration
Of the 20 largest metropolitan areas in the country, St. Louis had the largest percentage increase in foreign-born immigrants between 2014 and 2015.

Tech Shuttles: The Bay Area's Seventh Largest Transportation Provider
A new survey has found that every day more than 800 tech buses are traveling on the region's roadways, carrying around 34,000 passengers daily
A First Look at New Migration Data
The American Community Survey released new data on the who and where of migration.

Redefining Success for Younger Generations
A new book by Courtney Martin called "The New Better Off" examines the shift in values among younger generations.

Surprising Ridership Data on Los Angeles Metro's New Expo Line Extension
The light rail extension opened May 20 and is already 70 percent toward meeting its 2030 ridership projection. According to a survey conducted in June by Metro, more than two-thirds of riders were new to the Expo Line.

U.S. Census Has Good News About Income and Poverty
Finally, some very, very good news: The U.S. Census released data that shows broad, big gains in household incomes.

Hispanic Population Growth and Dispersion Slowed Since 2007
A comprehensive study on Latino population growth in the U.S. has been released by Pew Research Center based on a study of 2007-2014 census data. Two factors are responsible for the slowing growth: reduced fertility and immigration rates.
A 'Call to Action' to Find Reasons for Increase in Traffic Fatalities
The U.S. Department of Transportation wants to hear from the public to help explain the 35,092 traffic deaths last year, an increase of 2,348 people from 2014. It has issued a 'call to action' to help interpret the data.
Group Living Challenges Single-Family Norms, and That's Okay
Faced with a national housing crisis, it's time for cities to stop letting social mores dictate who can live where.

Four Ways L.A. Metro Is Increasing Affordable Housing
A median-income family in the L.A. metro area spends 73 percent of their income on housing and transportation alone. L.A. Metro explains why and how they're taking huge steps to get affordable housing on land they own—where it will do the most good.
About City Gates and Gateways, With a Political Gloss
A year of political obsession with walls along national borders has Chuck Wolfe contemplating city gates of the past and present. Using the foil of proposed border walls, he examines the historic role of city gates, modern gateways, and more.

The Makings of Healthy Places
What makes for a healthy place? Kaid Benfield points to density of dwellings, intersections and public transport, plus access to parks.

London's Cascading Displacement Effects Start at the Top of the Income Ladder
New research from the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics finds evidence of the displacement of elites from affluent neighborhoods in London.

White Flight Continues From Ethnoburbs Around the Country
As affluent whites have returned to more urban areas, some might think that white flight is a relic of the 20th century, but overwhelming evidence shows that white flight continues, just in a different place and time.

Demographic Changes and Environmental Leadership in Sacramento
It has been a good year for environmentalists, but it hasn't come easily, as seen in the much-celebrated but delayed passage of SB 32 that continues the landmark emissions reductions first set in 2006. Joe Mathews explains the transitions underway.
Pagination
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service