Social / Demographics

How the Pandemic Is Reshaping Ideas of the 'Smart City'
Accelerated investment in smart city technologies presents increased opportunity for connection and data-driven decision making, so long as cities can avoid the common pitfalls of implementation.

Staying Healthy During the Pandemic
Local parks and green spaces that enable safe social distancing have never been more important to people living in cities. The Trust for Public Land has released a new report showing their importance and the challenges they are facing.

How Trump's Version of the Suburbs Gets it Wrong
Analysis of Trump's favorability ratings with suburban voters and the demographic trends of recent years could doom his recent messages regarding the Democratic agenda for the suburbs.

Detroit Highways: Tear Them Down
Urban planning decisions about highway placement in Detroit damaged Black communities. Nithin Vejendla shares an opinion about how to address this legacy and move toward justice.

One U.S. State Boasts 33% Fewer Carbon Emissions Per Capita Than Any Other
California, the largest state by population in the United States, is responsible for 33% fewer carbon emissions per capita than any other state, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Structural Racism in the Zoning Code
A pair of articles from the Twin Cities, revealing the racist motivations of exclusionary zoning.

A Grim Coronavirus Milestone: 150,000 American Deaths
A grim warning was issued by the non-profit group that represents America's medical schools and teaching hospitals: if the nation doesn't change its response to the pandemic, "Multiples of hundreds of thousands" of additional deaths may occur.

Chicago's New Approach to Air Quality Includes Zoning Changes
Improved air quality can help achieve equitable economic growth, according to Chicago's newly announced Air Quality Agenda.

Do You Know Your COVID-19 Colors?
Harvard University's Global Health Insititute and Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics have launched a new online tool for planners, policy makers, and the public to determine the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in one's county and state.

Trump Finally Follows Through on Threat to Gut Obama-Era Fair Housing Rule
It's not clear if President Trump is aware that his administration has been working to rescind the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule since 2018, but he's recently doubled down on messaging that pit suburbs against the Fair Housing Act.

NYC Rezoning Plan Reinstated Despite Lack of Racial Impact Analysis
The New York Appellate Division's First Department made short work of a ruling that reinstated the Inwood NYC Action Plan, which a lower court dismissed in December 2019.

The Great Debate: Will the Pandemic Alter the Course of Urbanism?
The geography for the coronavirus has changed, but most of the debate about the future of cities continues along many of the same lines as in the early months of the pandemic.

Systemic Racism Starts and Ends with Housing
Along with standing up against police violence and systemic racism, we must also fight to end housing systems that devalue Black people.

Beleaguered Texas Hospital to Ration Treatment of COVID Patients
A second county in the Rio Grande Valley has issued an unenforceable stay-at-home order to reduce transmission of the coronavirus. Its one overwhelmed hospital will implement a triage system to determine which patients to treat and whom to reject.

New Layer of Equity Analysis Considered for Regional Planning in Northeast Ohio
The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) is considering a new policy that will add considerations about regional economic inequities when evaluating potential highway projects.

Community Planning Groups Scrutinized for Demographic Disparities in San Diego
Older, white homeowners take up far more than an equal share of the seats at the planning table in San Diego.

'We Are Living Right Now Through a Historic Pandemic Outbreak.'
On the day before America reached the grim milestone of four million COVID-19 cases, with one million added in the last 15 days, Anthony Fauci shared views on where the nation is headed in the pandemic.

Texas County First in Nation to Issue Second Stay-at-Home Order
The first shelter-at-home order issued in the pandemic's resurgence in the U.S. took effect Wednesday morning in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, an overwhelmingly Latino region that has been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.

Three Key Calls to Action to Improve Racial Equity in Transit Policy
Important changes are necessary to promote racial equity in transit policy, governance, and agency recruitment, according to Darnell Grisby, director of policy development at the American Public Transit Association.

Stapleton, Denver Neighborhood Named for Klu Klux Klan Member, Getting a New Name
Central Park, Concourse, Meadowlark, Mosley, Park Central, Peterson, Randolph, Skyview, and Tailwinds are the options for renaming the neighborhood of Stapleton in Denver.
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