Social / Demographics

Expect a Big Year for Moving Companies, Survey Says
A recent City Monitor survey says the pandemic is inspiring a growing number of people to consider new locations for living and working.

Biden Administration Recognizes the Legacy of Housing Discrimination
In a memorandum, the President acknowledged the federal government's role in patterns of segregation and disinvestment that continue to affect communities of color across the country.

California's Stringent Coronavirus Restrictions Worked
Public health experts credit the controversial L.A. County public health order and the state's regional order, both of which banned outdoor dining, with reducing the viral spread that overwhelmed hospitals with COVID patients last month.

Private Sector Coalition Urges California to Invest in Affordable Housing
A new plan calls for increased funding for housing and supportive services to relieve the state's housing crisis and end homelessness.

Austin Reallocates Police Funding to Homeless Housing and Services
The city is using the redistributed money to purchase hotels for permanent housing and provide supportive services.

Pop Quiz: What Kind of Post-2020 City-Maker Are You?
The State of Place blog is offering a pop quiz designed to help you diagnose the kind of post-2020 city-maker you are.

Homeless Counts Fall Short in Gathering Accurate Statistics
Assessing the scale of homelessness in the United States is surprisingly difficult, with statistics failing to capture the diversity of unhoused people and their situations.

Awaiting the Mutant Storm(s)
Coronavirus infection, hospitalizations and most recently, deaths, are declining, but public health experts warn that more transmissible variant strains of the coronavirus threaten to overwhelm hospitals in the next few months.

'The Great Real Estate Reset'
Business as usual in the real estate industry is failing the economy and the political and social cohesion of the United States, according to a new initiative launched by the Brookings Institution.

Thank Indigenous Activists for the Keystone XL Pipeline's Demise
President Biden's executive order may put the final nail in the coffin of the controversial pipeline project, but it was unwavering local activists who kept the pressure on for a decade.

'Zoom Towns': Paradigm Shift or Age-Old Pattern?
In California, housing prices have shot up in resort areas like Lake Tahoe and Big Bear and in suburbs like Mountain House and Rancho Cucamonga. Are urbanities fleeing, or are young adults doing what young adults have always done?

Repositioning Black Urbanists in the History of Planning
The history of planning is dominated by a few iconic figures—all white.

CDC's New Face Mask Requirement on Transit Takes Effect Tuesday
Travelers will be required to properly wear a face mask when riding all forms of public transportation, e.g., ride-share, bus, train, ferry, or plane. The rule applies to transportation hubs and boarding platforms. Not just any face-covering will do.

Planning Trends to Watch in 2021
The nation is now tasked with the challenge of changing course in the middle of multiple, global crises. The necessity of finding a way to overcome the failures of the past and lay the groundwork for a new kind of future has never been more clear.

Post-Pandemic: Living with COVID
With coronavirus Infections decreasing and vaccinations increasing throughout the nation, health and science reporters are writing about what the end of the pandemic may look like—from a disease perspective.

Biden Promises New Attention to Racial Inequality, Including Fair Housing
The Biden administration is announcing its intentions to overturn several controversial products of the Trump administration to weaken the the implementation of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the doctrine of disparate impact at its core.

Riding in Cars with COVID-19
Research suggests maximizing airflow during shared car rides vastly reduces the risk of transmission.

Opinion: Public Housing Won't Solve the Affordability Crisis
Seeking repeal of the Faircloth Amendment could be a needless distraction in the new administration's efforts to create more affordable housing, according to an article by Jenny Schuetz for the Brookings Intitution.

Outdoor Dining and Indoor Haircuts Return to California
With COVID infections plummeting, Gov. Gavin Newsom surprisingly lifted California's regional stay home order that had imposed the nation's strictest personal and business restrictions during the most deadly phase of the pandemic.

Detroit's Unique Climate Challenges
As climate change intensifies, Detroit could see more devastating floods and deadlier heat waves.
Pagination
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