Social / Demographics

February 22, 2010 - Richard A. Marcantonio

This post from Next American City looks at Vancouver's homelessness problem and the public outreach effort underway to bring attention and solutions to the problem.

February 20, 2010 - Next American City

A small city outside of Bogota, Colombia, has been overrun by stray dogs. With more than 30,000 strays on the streets, the city's mayor is calling for them to be killed.

February 19, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Resilience science has typically been applied to ecosystems. But now, scientists are starting to look at how it relates to cities.

February 18, 2010 - Seed

Richard Florida wades through the newly released results of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which looks at emotional and physical health in 52 of America's biggest metropolitan areas.

February 17, 2010 - The Atlantic

Architectural historian Keith Eggener draws a fascinating connection between the film Death Wish and architecture -- and also links the movie's main character with Robert Moses.

February 17, 2010 - Places

As homelessness rises in cities and suburbs across the country, local municipalities are trying to get the newly homeless back into homes as quickly as they can.

February 13, 2010 - Governing

We may not be driving flying cars, but the futuristic city is here -- in the form of a more intimate connections, communication technologies and social interactions. Former Planetizen Managing Editor Christian Madera discusses.

February 13, 2010 - Next American City

As the Winter Olympics kick off in Vancouver, the city has been named the world's "most livable city".

February 12, 2010 - Reuters

A new demographic tool from the USDA compiles data about food choices and characteristics, allowing the creation of detailed maps. Edible Geography wonders what using food as a metric will tell us about the U.S.

February 12, 2010 - Edible Geography

Grist takes a look at the Olympic city of Vancouver, and lists some of its greenest attributes, and some of its less-than-green downfalls.

February 12, 2010 - Grist

Kyla Fullenwider offer ten simple ideas to improve the livability of your block.

February 10, 2010 - Good

Americans are starting to value experiences over things, according to a new poll. Nearly half of Americans report spending less time purchasing non-essential goods, while many are spending more time on friends, family, and hobbies.

February 9, 2010 - New York Times

A new study ranks the U.S. states by residents' happiness. From Louisiana (#1) to New York (#51), the happiest people tend to live in sunny, outdoorsy states with strong quality of life measures.

February 9, 2010 - USA Today

Vancouver is playing host to the Winter Olympics beginning later this week. It's a city admired across North America. But it's also home to a pocket of severe poverty and homelessness.

February 8, 2010 - The New York Times

Obama's brand new Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities admits to being inspired by Portland's groundbreaking urban planning policies.

February 7, 2010 - The Oregonian

The latest news in the impact of the built environment on health: A new study says that children who live within 150 meters of congested roads have higher body mass indexes than kids that do not.

February 7, 2010 - Streetsblog

Last week, five NYC departments released a new publication on "Active Design Guidelines," presenting ways to address public health considerations through the built environment. Urban Omnibus takes a look.

February 7, 2010 - Urban Omnibus

A secret Russian military facility abandoned by the Russian military when the Soviet Union collapsed was sold at auction on Friday by the Latvian government. Officials celebrated the sale and hoped it could bring new life to the empty town.

February 6, 2010 - The Huffington Post

Froma Harrop responds to Joel Kotkin's view that booming centers -- mostly in the Sunbelt -- represent the future of American urbanism.

February 5, 2010 - Truthout