Social / Demographics

No Washing in Washington

Washington State is telling local governments that they need to ban carwashing in driveways, where runoff goes into storm drains and pollutes groundwater.

September 30, 2008 - USA Today

Twin Cities Spreading

The Minneapolis-St. Paul region is spreading further south, according to a recent study, which shows that projected growth will require more than 50,000 new homes and millions of square feet of retail and office space.

September 29, 2008 - Minneapolis-St.Paul Star Tribune

Cities Embracing Music Festivals

The Austin City Limits music festival, held at the city's major public park, has inspired other cities to invite festivals to their parks, despite the inherent challenges.

September 26, 2008 - Austin American-Statesman

On 'Black Urbanism'

Architects and researchers are looking into the influences of African and African-American culture on urbanism.

September 25, 2008 - Archinect

After Andrew, Homestead Bounces Back

Once nearly obliterated by Hurricane Andrew, Homestead, FL, is now a thriving city with a bigger and more diverse population than ever. This article takes a look at how it got there and how it plans to further reinvent itself.

September 24, 2008 - The Wall Street Journal

Trying to Keep Youth in Changing Alaskan Fishing Towns

For coastal fishing communities in Alaska, tighter rules on fishing mean that there are fewer jobs. This is especially evident for younger populations, who find few reasons to stay in town. Researchers are looking at ways to increase retention.

September 24, 2008 - APRN

Suburbs The New Ground Zero For Homelessness

Homelessness is on the rise in metropolitan Vancouver, but the numbers are most significant in the suburbs.

September 24, 2008 - Langley Times

As Immigration Slows, White Population Rises in NYC

A recent census shows a "reverse white flight" trend in New York City: not only has the Hispanic population steadied, but the population of whites has steadily increased for the first time in nearly half a century.

September 24, 2008 - The New York Times

Stress City, U.S.A.

By looking at city data and quality-of-life measures, Forbes has created a list of the most stressful cities in the U.S. Chicago, Detroit and New York rank the highest.

September 23, 2008 - Forbes

Tent Cities Sprouting Up All Over U.S.

Foreclosures and economic hardships have caused a proliferation of tent cities across the U.S.

September 21, 2008 - Associated Press

Seattle's Housing Can't Handle Projected Growth

Seattle is growing, and it's going to have to start thinking about augmenting its single-family neighborhoods with more multi-unit housing if it wants to keep up with the pace of growth.

September 19, 2008 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Bust Belt

How exurban expansion paves the way for the next housing crisis.

September 19, 2008 - Culture11

Planning for NYC's Seniors

A predicted upsurge of seniors living in New York City within the next 20 years poses new challenges for the city. According to a report by the New York Academy of Medicine, however, good design and planning may be part of the solution.

September 18, 2008 - The Architect's Newspaper

Expanding HUD's Definition of Homelessness

Congress is in the midst of discussing whether or not more people ought to be eligible for homeless services. But without any additional funding to go with it, some argue that a broadened definition of homelessness may be unrealistic.

September 17, 2008 - The New York Times

Hasidic Community Wants to Ban Bike Lanes

Religious leaders In the Williamsburg Hasidic community are calling for a ban on bike lanes in their neighborhood because of bikers passing through in revealing clothing. One Hasid says, "It bothers me, and it bothers a lot of people."

September 15, 2008 - NY Post

Facing the Question of Population Growth

The issue of population growth and its impact on society has been a taboo for decades. Neal Peirce jumps head first into this thorny issue.

September 14, 2008 - Citiwire.net

A Map of Personality Types

Geographical differences in personality types have been mapped by researchers, showing which parts of the country are more stressed, more curious, and more agreeable.

September 14, 2008 - Telegraph

Europe's Impending Demographic Disaster

A new report is warning that aging populations and declining birthrates will bring a demographic disaster to most of Europe within a generation.

September 12, 2008 - The Globe and Mail

Documenting Industrial Areas on the Ground

By enlisting the help of concerned local citizens, researchers are getting better documentation of the locations of potentially polluting industrial land uses near residential areas.

September 9, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

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.