Social / Demographics

Camping in Public Parks Allowed in British Columbia

A supreme court judge in British Columbia has ruled that homeless people can legally camp on public property such as parks.

October 18, 2008 - The Province

'Housing That Works' Plan Announced

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has announced that within the next five years, $5 billion will go to funding 20,000 new affordable homes near public transportation.

October 16, 2008 - The Architect's Newspaper

Candidates Must Appeal to Cities, Suburbs

Tonight's presidential debate is the candidates' last chance to address respective suburban and urban issues.

October 15, 2008 - The New York Times

News Summary: Cities and the Financial Crisis

How is the financial crisis impacting urban planning and land use policy? Managing Editor Tim Halbur takes a look at some early indicators drawn from recent news headlines and conversations with planning professionals.

October 15, 2008 - Tim Halbur

Boston Burdened by Surge in Homelessness

Unlike many other states faced with the challenge of housing its homeless, Massachusetts is mandated by law to do so. Unfortunately, Massachusetts is also faced with budget shortfalls, making solutions elusive.

October 15, 2008 - NPR

Hospitals Flee Poor Areas

Unable to bear the financial burden of serving the community's poor, inner-city nonprofit hospitals have been shutting down while investing in suburban hospitals, where patients are more likely to be insured.

October 15, 2008 - The Wall Street Journal

Growth Not Catching Suburban Houston Town By Surprise

A small suburban Houston town has been planning ahead for growth that's expected to bring its population from just over 700 to nearly 40,000 in the next 15 years.

October 13, 2008 - The Houston Chronicle

New York Families Make One Bedroom Work

The amount of young families squeezing into one-bedroom apartments in New York City is on the rise.

October 11, 2008 - The New York Times

Americans Continue to Migrate to Metropolitan Regions

Professor Richard Morill of the University of Washington maps population growth over the past seven years, which shows a continuing pattern of movement towards large metropolitan regions.

October 10, 2008 - newgeography

Disparities of Going Green

In this article, Deneen Borelli argues that elite environmentalists are blocking access to natural resources that are abundant and in urgent need. As a result, higher costs of stricter energy requirements hit poor black communities the hardest.

October 9, 2008 - The Root

Canada's High-Tech Hub

Ottawa's high-tech sector has burgeoned. More of its residents are employed in fields of engineering and science than in any other Canadian city, making it a high-tech hotbed not unlike those of the U.S.

October 8, 2008 - New Geography

Mr. City Rankings Answers Your Questions

Bert Sperling, who has earned recognition for his lists of "Best Places," responds to questions posed by the readers of the Freakonomics blog.

October 6, 2008 - Freakonomics (Opinion) on The New York Times

How Cities Can Compete - An Illustrated Guide

An artist recently drew an interpretation of a speech by author Richard Florida about the "creative class", competition between cities and the importance of place.

October 5, 2008 - Creative Class Exchange

Urban Explorers Venture into the Abandoned and Unknown

A growing group of people in Britain have taken to breaking into abandoned buildings and facilities. But they're not breaking in to steal things, or to squat. They just want to check the places out, which they call "urban exploring".

October 5, 2008 - The Independent

Preserving Historic Centers and Local Populations

The historic centers and plazas of Latin American cities are often viewed as prime prospects for preservation in the hopes of increasing tourism. Often this preservation has a negative affect on locals, but things are beginning to change.

October 4, 2008 - Land Lines, Lincoln Institute Of Land Policy

The President and Population Growth

Neal Pierce of Citiwire.net returns to the population issue, this time addressing U.S. federal foreign and domestic policies regarding the issue.

October 4, 2008 - Citiwire.net

Reconsidering the Trailer Park

A new study finds that manufactured housing (also known as mobile homes), despite their reputation, offer important advantages for low-income households.

October 3, 2008 - HUD User

Why Affordability Matters

In this article, Erick Villagomez argues that affordable housing, by enabling urban diversity, is the key to a city's economic and social sustainability.

October 3, 2008 - re:place Magazine

Educating the Newly Homeless Youth

As their numbers increase, students from homeless families face a slew of new challenges to their education. Some families, this article reports, don’t even know that they still have a right to an education after losing their home.

October 2, 2008 - NPR

East L.A. Bids for Incorporation

For the fourth time, the unincorporated area of East Los Angeles is making efforts to become a city. This article examines its colorful history and what East L.A. hopes to accomplish in gaining cityhood.

October 2, 2008 - Newsweek

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.