Social / Demographics
The Barcelona Model of Reviving Industrial Areas
American cities are struggling to figure out how to transition formerly industrial areas to become vibrant and successful parts of the city once again. Neal Peirce says they should look to Barcelona, which accomplished it ten years ago.
Connecting New York City's Immigrants With Parks
This piece from Urban Omnibus looks at a collaborative effort in New York City to get immigrant populations better engaged in the city's public parks.
From Memories to Master Plans
Maine mill town asks citizens to record their memories at downtown "Heart Spots" as part of the master planning process.
Teens on Planning Commissions? No More, Says Michigan
Michigan's one-year experiment in giving local mayors and township supervisors the option to appoint someone less than 18 years-of-age to a planning commission appears to be coming to an abrupt end.
Developing the Open City
New communication and interaction technologies are dramatically changing the way the public understands and participates in government. The emerging openness of data and information at the city level is broadening the urban policy conversation, but challenges and questions lie ahead as the open city develops.
Halfway Towards Ending Homelessness in Portland
Portland, Oregon is half-way through its ten-year plan to address homelessness. The city's seen improvements, but many challenges lie ahead, according to this report.
Military Base Neighbors Wary of New, Louder Air Fighters
The U.S. Military are on the verge of releasing its new air fighter, the F-35, and about 200 U.S. bases are under consideration to house them. The new planes are three to 12 times louder than existing planes, which has some base neighbors on edge.
18-Year-Old Appointed to Planning Commission
Megan Lavalley may be the youngest planning commissioner ever, appointed to serve in Manchester, Vermont beginning Oct. 22nd.
2010 Census Faces Foreclosure Challenges
The high amount of foreclosures is expected to make things tougher for Census officials as they prepare for 2010 Census enumeration.
There's No Place Like Home
Joel Kotkin sees a trend in a 'New Localism'- people aren't moving around like they used to, and it's causing them to reengage with their communities.
First Fast Food, Now South L.A. Looks to Ban Convenience Stores
Community activists are calling for a ban on new convenience stores in South Los Angeles, a lower income part of town that saw a ban on new fast food restaurants last year.
More Solo Drivers in the South, Northeast
Richard Florida takes a look at a recent report showing connecting solo commuters with location and comes up with an interesting demographic breakdown.
Citizen-Activated Adaptive Urban Spaces
The availability of information in the city is creating a new opportunity for adaptive and interactive urban spaces. As Carlo Ratti of MIT's SENSEable City Lab discusses, the key is people.
Mapping Population Density of Nations
These maps are distorted to emphasize areas with higher populations. Check out the warped US and bloated Australia.
A City Burns its Troubles Away
Every year, residents in Santa Fe, New Mexico send a huge human effigy into flames. Burning with it are physical representations of the bad memories and experiences of the past year.
Not So Fast- Seniors Moving to Cities
A report by the MetLife Mature Market Institute says that seniors are moving away from suburbs and to more walkable, urban areas.
Boomers Get Rural
A new report from the USDA says that baby boomers will be flooding out of metropolitan areas and into the countryside over the next ten years.
Ban on Biking and Walking to School May Be Lifted
A 15-year-old ban on biking and walking to school in Saratoga Springs, New York may be lifted, after one bike-friendly parent challenged the policy.
The Rural Recession
A new report from the Economic Research Service looks at how the economic recession is affecting rural areas. For the most part, things are a lot worse in America's nonmetro areas.
Kids Tackling Planning Issues
The Municipal Art Society of New York talks with four young people who are actively involved in addressing the planning challenges facing their communities.
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
