Social / Demographics
A Map of the Most Economically Distressed Communities in the United States
The economic recovery of recent years has not reached all corners of the country—it hasn’t even reached all corners of many cities. A new report plots a new map of the nation's distressed communities.
Friday Eye Candy: Dallas, Transformed Into Poetry
Dallas is a subject in a visual experiment titled "A City is a Poem."
Smart Design = Smart Policy? Not So Fast
After a few decades watching—and sometimes helping—great ideas die of overexposure to reality, I'm convinced it's not enough to just listen to folks you're hoping to help. You have to make something happen. A well-conceived charrette helps.
'Peak Millennial' Has Passed: What Comes Next for Cities and Suburbs?
The largest cohort of Millennials (those born in 1990) recently turned 25, leaving only smaller waves of their generational peers to follow. Are economic and generational trends primed for another, suburban shift?
Study: Location Matters for Farmers' Markets
Research conducted in Flint, Michigan, found that changing the location of the local farmers' market had a dramatic effect in how residents shopped.
Lots of Positive Signs for Pittsburgh in 2016
Good news for Pittsburgh, which is now officially reversing decades of Rust Belt trends.
Auto Repairs From Potholes Got You Down? You Are Not Alone
A new report from the AAA indicates that American motorists encounter damage from potholes three times a year, with each incident costing an average $300 to repair. Middle and working class drivers feel the pinch disproportionately.
From 'Traffic' Planning to 'Transportation' Planning: Toronto's Pivot to the Future
Ken Greenberg, the former director of architecture and urban design for the city of Toronto, sits down to discuss how Toronto needs to transform to ensure a less auto-reliant future that serves a changing demographic of younger urban dwellers.
Socially-Blind Urban Planning
In this era of increased inequality, socially-blind urban planning is morally questionable. Specifically, on the issue of homelessness in America, there are three problems to which planners need to pay particular attention.
Program Protects School Diversity in Gentrifying Neighborhoods
The benefits of diverse classroom settings are well established. How then to protect diversity in schools when the surrounding neighborhood is quickly becoming homogenous?
Is Jersey City the New York Metro Area's Next Brooklyn?
A 10-minute commute to lower Manhattan has made this once dingy city into the fastest growing in the Garden State. Yet from an historic perspective, Jersey City was a "shrinking city," not unlike Detroit or Youngstown, until 25 years ago.
Zillow: Suburbs Becoming More Like Cities
According to the real estate website, urban home values are growing faster than those in the suburbs, bucking a longtime trend. This isn't exactly surprising, but it has serious social justice implications.
Urban and Suburban Poverty: The Changing Geography of Disadvantage
After two recessions that limped into slow and uneven economic recoveries, the number of people living below the federal poverty line rose to record levels. The suburbanization of poverty reflects shifting housing and labor markets.
North Dakota's Oil Boom Falters
As oil prices dip to around $30 a barrel, fears are setting in that North Dakota's oil fields have been overdeveloped. If the current boom goes bust, these towns might find themselves nearly empty.
How the Built Environment Shapes Music
From Motown to grunge, techno to hip hop, modern music came to life in garages, living rooms, churches, and warehouses. Urban design has been instrumental to what we listen to every day.
Study Finds More Age Groups Ditching the Driver's License
It's not just millennials anymore. A new study finds more people are going without driver's licenses than in previous decades.
Breaking Down D.C.'s Bike Commuter Map
A map of bike commuters also maps the political conflicts in a changing Washington, D.C.
Fortunately, Unfortunately: A Children's Primer on Urban Evolution
Scott Doyon rewrote a classic children's book as a history of US cities since World War II. Fortunately, it's a quick read. Unfortunately, it's up to all of us how it ends.
New Study Reveals Causes of Lower American Life Expectancy
A study published February 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association points to three reasons for the life expectancy being lower for Americans than in other developed nations. Care to guess what they are?
Waking Up to Seattle's New Density
Census data shows that Seattle jumped Baltimore to become the country's tenth most densely populated city. Is Seattle on the cusp of a changing of the guard when it comes to density and population growth?
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
