Social / Demographics

Federal Government to Enforce Accessibility Guidelines
Local agencies will soon be tasked with adhering to federal right-of-way accessibility rules: comprehensive guidelines for accessible streets and sidewalks.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department Launched in San Antonio
San Antonio has set goals for diversity and inclusion in all services by establishing a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department.

Remote Workers: The New Supercommuters
Workers who moved away from their jobs during the pandemic are adjusting to longer commutes as employers start asking them to return to the office.

Your Date With Omicron
“All of us have a date with omicron,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told The Associated Press on Dec. 20, adding "...and the best way you can encounter this is to be fully vaccinated.”

Study: Housing Market Instability Requires Robust Policy Response
A report from the Urban Land Institute calls for a multi-faceted approach to stabilizing the housing market and protecting tenants and homeowners.

The Great American COVID Testing Failure
Americans who want to know if they are infected with the coronavirus are waiting hours to get tested and not finding rapid tests for at-home testing. Health experts had presented a plan to the administration in October to avoid this crisis.

Coronavirus Geography: Denmark Could Be an Omicron Harbinger
Denmark is one of three countries that experts suggest watching to determine how the Omicron wave will affect the U.S. and other well-vaccinated nations. Cases are surging notwithstanding having 78% of its population fully vaccinated.

To Combat Rising Heat Deaths, Phoenix Creates Heat Response and Mitigation Office
As more extreme temperatures lead to an alarming rise in heat-related deaths across the country, Phoenix is taking action with the nation's first public heat response office.

Gig Workers Demand Data Transparency
Access to data for gig workers can provide a valuable source of information and bargaining power in a traditionally opaque and risky industry.

Busting the 'Urban Exodus' Myth, Again
New numbers from the Census Bureau show that fewer Americans moved in 2020 than ever before, belying dire predictions about the death of cities and the hollowing out of urban neighborhoods.

Federal Vax-or-Test Mandate for Large Employers Reinstated
Judges of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decided, 2-1, to allow the Biden administration's vax-or-test mandate for private sector employers, removing a stay placed on the OSHA rule by the Fifth Circuit. Enforcement begins Feb. 9.

Census: U.S. Population Growing Slower Than Any Point Since the Nation's Founding
The pandemic has added increased mortality to decreasing birth rates and decreasing international immigration.

Reimagining Homelessness and Mental Health: 'Radical Hospitality' in Trieste, Italy
Kerry Morrison, founder of Heart Forward LA, shares her journey researching the “failures” of the U.S. mental health system, and what L.A. could learn about radical hospitality from a city with a robust community-based approach—Trieste, Italy.

U.S. Supreme Court Upholds New York State Vaccine Mandate
Health care workers in New York will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 after the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to reject hearing an appeal brought by workers who had sought a religious exemption. Also, an update on the federal vaccine mandate.

California Bill Could Ban Freeway Expansions in Underserved Neighborhoods
A proposed bill in the California State Legislature would bar the state from funding road construction in communities at risk for displacement and health impacts.

Replacing Houston's Missing Ghost Bikes
A Houston couple is asking for help installing 'ghost bike' memorials, a stark reminder of the dangers of unsafe roads to cyclists.

'A Tidal Wave of Omicron Coming'
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson sounded an alarm on the public health threat posed by the Omicron variant. On Monday, he announced that a British resident had become the first person in the world whose death is tied to the new variant.

Opinion: Upzoning Isn't Just for Major Streets
The practice of limiting high-density development to busy arterial streets puts renters and low-income households at higher risk for the effects of air and noise pollution created on major roads.

Austin Musicians Squeezed By Housing Crisis
The Texas capital's iconic music scene could suffer as higher housing costs push musicians out of the city.

Revisiting Vermont: A COVID Update
PBS NewsHour investigates the surging coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Vermont which, along with Rhode Island, has 75% of its total population fully vaccinated, the nation's highest, as the U.S. appears to enter a winter surge.
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