Social / Demographics
Cleaning Up Denver With Haircuts
In an effort to help clean up the city when the Democratic National Convention comes to town, a local salon in Denver has offered free haircuts to the city's homeless.
Group Says Public Drinking Ban Violates Public Space
Calling it a violation of public spaces, a new report from a civil liberties group in the UK has criticized the banning of public drinking in more than 600 places in England and Wales.
Urban Gardens Taking Root in Post-Industrial City
The non-profit group Nuestras Raíces in Holyoke, Mass. has found urban agriculture a powerful community glue, providing increased food security and economic opportunity to the Puerto Rican population there.
The Flood of 'Amenity Migrants'
Scenic resort towns are increasingly attracting older residents, creating a population boom that far surpasses growth rates in many cities and urban areas.
The Meaning of 'Independence'
Jay Walljasper reflects on the historical meaning of American independence, and how today's meaning is leading people away from working towards the common good.
City Tries To Curb 'Spite Landscaping'
A city in the midst of a revitalization effort has targeted landscape designs allegedly aimed at spiting the neighbors.
Electronic Signs May Need Different Rules
Officials in Abilene, Texas, are trying to pass an electronic sign ordinance "proactively" but are facing great resistance, as has been the case for other cities.
L.A.'s Fast Food Ban Boosts Health and Healthy Businesses
A moratorium on new fast food restaurants in Los Angeles is seen as a way to encourage better public health, but also a way to encourage healthier businesses.
Best Towns in the U.S.
Outside Magazine looks at the best cities and towns for working, living and playing, with a focus on places that have experienced a renewal.
Megapolitans Rise in the Mountains
This column from Neal Peirce looks at the new megapolitan stronghold of the Intermountain West.
Muslim Count Controversial
A new census of Muslim congregations is reviving controversies over how many Muslims are in the U.S., how they are counted and why it matters.
Diversity from the Bottom Up: Minority Youth Are Becoming a Majority
Integrated inner-city public schools were the first to see this phenomenon more than 20 years ago -- classrooms that were predominately children of color. This was attributed to White Flight: the abandoning of the inner city by middle class Caucasians. Not only are minority youth populations the majority of the public school enrollments throughout the country, they are also now a majority of several United States cities and counties.
The Mentally Disabled in Public Spaces
A psychology site reviews Mental Health and Social Space: Towards Inclusionary Geographies, a book by Hester Parr that looks at new ideas in including (or excluding) people with mental disabilities from public spaces.
The Mega Capital of the World
China is rapidly becoming home to more and more mega-cities, and there's little sign of it slowing down.
NIMBYism Strikes as Residents Fight Senior Housing
Citizens in Weston, Massachusetts, one of America's toniest suburbs, continue to block a local college's effort to build senior housing, raise its endowment and provide scholarships for low-income students.
Mississippi Holds Onto Title as Fattest State in U.S.
This is Mississippi's third year in a row topping CalorieLab's United States of Obesity report. The BBC goes to Jefferson County, MS to find out why.
If They Don't Like It, Why Build It?
Architect Robert Adam likens modern architecture to modern democracy, where decisions made on high supposedly represent the will of the people.
A Move Back into Cities Indicates Changing Middle-Class Mores
Author Alan Ehrenhalt says that conditions are ripe for the permanent return of downtown residential neighborhoods, and that a "demographic inversion" has already begun in Manhattan, Chicago and Washington, DC, among other cities.
Swimmers Versus Seals
A popular swimming area at the San Diego area beach of La Jolla has been overrun by seals, making swimming unsafe. Many community members want the seals out, but animal rights activists say they should be allowed to stay.
'Time Bank' Creates Community of Bartering
An online "time bank" has opened in Los Angeles, allowing members to barter services with each other.
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
