Social / Demographics

The Fastest-Growing Suburbs In America

Forbes compiles a list of the top 100 fastest-growing suburbs -- predominantly in the Sun Belt and the West.

July 18, 2007 - Forbes

Implementing The 'Louisiana Speaks' Plan

After an 18 month process and 27,000 opinions, Louisiana has a plan. Now the hard part begins.

July 18, 2007 - New Urban News

Fear Of An Urban Planet

The prospect of a future in which more than half the planet lives in cities means that we need to get serious about planning for growth, warns Neal Peirce.

July 18, 2007 - The Seattle Times

Growth And Migration In The U.S.

Experts sound off on the state of American growth today and the cause of what people are calling "the greatest population re-distribution since the dust bowl".

July 17, 2007 - Forbes

The Equality Of Universal Design

Designers, developers, and homeowners are finding benefits to "universal design" -- a principle that seeks to make homes and buildings accessible to people of all physical abilities.

July 17, 2007 - The Chicago Tribune

In Second Life, 'Main Street' Dominates Corporate Stores

The marketing departments of many large companies that have setup stores in the virtual world, Second Life, are finding that it's hard to compete with places developed by residents.

July 16, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

The Importance Of Parks In An Urban World

Green spaces and parks are becoming increasingly important as more and more people inhabit urban areas.

July 15, 2007 - The Toronto Star

Long Commutes Discourage Volunteerism

A new study demonstrates that long commutes negatively impact a community's pool of volunteers and decreases social capital.

July 14, 2007 - Philantromedia

Post-Dotcom San Francisco Resurges

San Francisco is experiencing a resurgence of high-tech businesses and wealth similar to what was seen during the dotcom boom. But this time around, the city's recovery from the bust of the dotcom era has a much different character.

July 13, 2007 - The Economist

The War Over Lawn Care

The move towards organic, chemical-free lawn care is sending ripples through suburban neighborhoods across the country.

July 13, 2007 - The Wall Street Journal

Is Your City Watching You?

New York City has plans to install a permanent closed-circuit camera system throughout the city. It is based on a similar system in London, which some credit with preventing terrorist acts. But the system's constitutionality is a major concern.

July 12, 2007 - The Christian Science Monitor

The Link Between Lead Exposure and Violent Crime

Research by one economist suggests that lead poisoning may cause a person to engage in criminal activities, which counties with high lead levels having higher murder rates.

July 11, 2007 - The Seattle Times

California 2050: Sprawl Or Skyscrapers?

Study predicts that by 2050 California's population will grow by 75%. Experts weigh in on what this means to planning for the state's growth.

July 10, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Duany Prepares Houston For The 21st Century

DPZ finished three designs late last week detailing a level of urbanity that promises to make the sprawling 650 square mile City of Houston a more attractive place in the 21st century.

July 9, 2007 - The Houston Chronicle

Ex-Official Says Seattle Stopped Listening

Seattle's public participation process has served as an example for cities across the globe, but the former city official who was instrumental in creating that reputation says the city's current leadership has moved away from that model.

July 9, 2007 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Fighting Crime With Infrastructure

The president of Brazil has pledged nearly $2 billion to improve basic services and infrastructure in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. He hopes that providing running water, schools, and better roads will counteract the high crime rate in the slums.

July 5, 2007 - BBC

How Poor Planning Creates Slums

By ignoring the "spinoff" effects of urban growth and sprawl, planners in Jamaica have unwittingly encouraged the creation of slums and overcrowded urban centers, according to experts.

July 4, 2007 - Jamaica Gleaner

New Noise Code For The City That Never Sleeps

New York City has approved tighter regulations on noise in the city, an effort officials hope will improve the quality of life for residents in the notoriously noisy city.

July 4, 2007 - NPR

Five Questions With Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk

Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk discusses Miami 21, the City of Miami's effort to rezone the entire city using the principles of the new urbanism.

July 3, 2007 - The Miami Herald

Residents Fed Up With Filming

Downtown Los Angeles has long been a heavily used site for filming. But as the area's population rises, filmmakers are meeting resistance from residents who are fed up with the disturbance.

July 3, 2007 - 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.