Social / Demographics

Glowering Alone

On-board shoving and online ranting point to increasing narcissism and incivility in the public realm.

January 29, 2008 - The Guardian

Oakland to Open Eco-Friendly Homeless Shelter

Crossroads, a 125-bed homeless facility, incorporates green building concepts to better serve its clients. Many homeless people have respiratory-related health problems and a green building will be healthier for them.

January 29, 2008 - The New York Times

The Downside Of A Declining Crime Rate: Prison Closures

Many rural prisons have become a mainstay for the economies of the small communities where they are located, and closing them can prove devastating to the local economy, creating long-term problems far beyond the loss of prison jobs.

January 28, 2008 - The New York Times

Native Villages Fight to Preserve Heritage in Urban Setting

Members of the Dena'ina Athabascan tribe, completely surrounded by metropolitan Anchorage, struggle to preserve their language and culture.

January 28, 2008 - The Christian Science Monitor

Edmonton Looks at 24-Hour Transit

Momentum is growing for 24 hour transit in Edmonton, Alberta - an idea backed by students, business officials, and the Transit Riders' Union of Edmonton. City officials say it's inevitable, but is at least a couple years away.

January 27, 2008 - The Edmonton Sun

New Orleans Stumbles With Homeless Plan

With booming homelessness since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is looking to unconventional approaches to handling the issue. But things aren't quite working out as planned.

January 24, 2008 - NPR

Little Cambodia Leaves New York, Finds New Niches

New York's Cambodian population has seen a sharp drop over the last two decades, but other American cities have absorbed these communities to form their own "Little Cambodias".

January 24, 2008 - The New York Times

Women-Only Buses Debut in Mexico City

Mexico City has announced plans to dedicate some of its transit system buses for use by women only -- a move made in response to increasing reports of women being groped on crowded buses.

January 23, 2008 - Reuters

An Intimate Look at the Streets of Detroit

This series from The Detroit Free Press looks at the state of the city that is both struggling and succeeding.

January 23, 2008 - The Detroit Free Press

Urban Planning and Musical Categories: Exploring the Notion of Improvisation

This paper shows how urban development may be considered in terms of musical categories, and associates spontaneous and informal urban actions with their analog in musical discourse: improvisation.

January 22, 2008 - The Urban Reinventors Online Urban Journal

New Transit For Venice: No Tourists Allowed

The City of Venice, Italy, has just opened a new waterbus for its canals that is reserved for use by local citizens only -- part of an effort to make the tourist-heavy city more friendly to its own people.

January 22, 2008 - International Herald Tribune

Baby Steps to Downtown Living

Downtown L.A. is redeveloping into a residential neighborhood. But is it baby-friendly?

January 22, 2008 - L.A. Downtown News

Cleveland Suburbs: Too Close for Comfort?

After black teenagers from Cleveland severely beat a white man, Shaker Heights residents reconsider the safety of their community.

January 21, 2008 - The New York Times

Not Your Typical Redevelopment Board

With little else to do, teenagers in the rural Indiana town of San Pierre have found a new place to hang out: community meetings. But they're not just hanging out, they are actively participating in the planning and revitalization of their community.

January 21, 2008 - Therese Schmidt

Tapping Into the Wisdom of Crowds

In this article, author James Surowiecki discusses the idea that -- contrary to common assumption -- there is a lot of wisdom to be found in crowds.

January 20, 2008 - Scenarios

Friday Funny: Caped Crusaders Serving Cities

Superheroes exist outside the pages of comic books, and they are committed to improving their communities. Though there are few "supervillains" to tackle, these superheroes serve their cities through civic volunteerism and general do-goodery.

January 18, 2008 - City Pages (Minneapolis/St. Paul)

Aging Boomers to Cause 'Epic Transition' in Housing Market

A new report in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Planning Association examines how home-owning and aging baby boomers will drastically affect the housing market.

January 18, 2008 - The Wall Street Journal

Ohio Economic Woes Cause Unwanted Living Arrangements

Ohio never recovered from the 2001 recession, and today 16 percent of families live below the poverty line. The state continues to lose high-paying factory jobs, and adult children and moving back in with their parents to make ends meet.

January 17, 2008 - The New York Times

Seattle Considers 48-Hour Notice for City Campers

In an effort to standardize its procedures, the city of Seattle is considering a plan to give homeless people 48 hours of notice before they are forced to clear out encampments on city property.

January 16, 2008 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Revitalization Edging Out Blacks in San Francisco

A new light rail line, a number of condo projects and a broad revitalization plan are changing the face of San Francisco's Bayview district. Many in the neighborhood see the changes pushing out blacks.

January 14, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

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.