Social / Demographics
Prepared for Disaster, But not to Respond
Japan is typically associated with strong disaster preparedness plans, but the devastation following the March tsunami highlights some of the nation's shortcomings in adapting and reacting, according to this piece from Citiwire.
Chinese Ghost Cities on the Rise
A year after taking a look at the new but empty cities being created in China, Business Insider takes a trip back to see what's changed in those brand new and unoccupied cities.
Cooperation and the Evolutionary Biology of the City as Organism
Evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson is trying to understand how natural selection works at various levels. His new lab: the city of Binghamton, New York.
New Housing Starts Reveal Shift Toward Multi-Family Housing Construction
AP reports on the Anderson Forecast from UCLA that looks into CA's housing slump and shows two distinct markets, one on the rise and the other (single-family housing) falling.
Louisville, KY Confronts Obesity From All Angles
A grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has Louisville thinking differently. "...it's not just about smart growth, it’s not just about transportation, it's not just about parks or better nutrition, it’s about all of those things and more."
Realizing Fast-Forward Urbanism
Top-down and bottom-up planning are brushed aside in favor of the concept of a middle ground approach in the new book "Fast-Forward Urbanism: Rethinking Architecture's Engagement with the City". It could work, according to this review.
The Disproportionate Influence of Cities in Countries Around World
At a recent conference on world cities, attendees from all over the world shared the impression that their cities do not receive enough respect from their national governments.
Misinterpreting Metrics in List of 'Dying' Cities
In this post on The Infrastructurist, Peter Kageyama looks at a recent listing of 10 "dying" cities, and how the metrics used to rate these places can be and have been misinterpreted.
Will Urban-Loving Millennials Become Suburban Parents?
Real estate advisor Melina Duggal suggests that while studies show that today Millennials are seeking urban digs, that preference could change as they grow older and suburbs get more walkable.
Destroyed by Tsunami, Small Village Considers Move
A small community in tsunami-ravaged Japan considers a plan to move the entire village farther above sea level.
Friday Funny: The Totalitarian Utopianism of Smurfs
A new book by researcher Antoine Buéno looks at the cartoon and comic book characters the Smurfs as an example of a totalitarian regime with utopian goals.
Designers and Architects a Major Aspect of New York City's Economy
A new report focusing on design professionals and architects in New York finds that these industries are on a strong growth path and create a significant impact on the local economy.
New Urbanism's Young Adherents Keep it Fresh
Writing on the recent Congress for the New Urbanism annual meeting, Grist's Sarah Goodyear finds some new ideas in a field that's gradually integrated itself into the mainstream.
Emergence in Public Parks
The sudden appearance of a ping pong table in a public park in Dallas is a perfect example of the concept of emergence in cities, according to this post on Pegasus News.
Urban Planners as "Zookeepers"
At the National Building Museum's Intelligent Cities Forum, one participant compared creating healthy cities to creating healthy animal environments in zoos.
LaHood and DOT Employees Bike to Work (VIDEO)
This two-minute video features U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood discussing the merits of bicycling and bike friendly places as he and other DOT employees bike to work.
Could Detroit Rise Again?
Detroit has become our most notorious story of urban collapse. But reporter Matthew Power suggests that we consider the city's official motto: "It shall rise from the ashes."
The Social Life of Dallas City Hall Plaza
Filmmaker Aaron Garcia uses narration from William H. Whyte's classic The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces to highlight the failings of the I.M. Pei-designed Dallas City Hall Plaza.
Long Commute Takes a Toll on Relationships
Latest study by a Swedish university shows that couples whose commute time exceeds 45 minutes are 40% more likely to experience marital problems.
Where Have All The Children Gone?
Decreasing fertility rates of non-Hispanic whites and black women, plus the tendency of families with children to cluster, have caused declines in the '18 and under' population share in 95% of U.S. counties.
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
