Social / Demographics

New Weekly Survey from U.S. Census Bureau Provides Crucial Insight for Recovery Efforts
Weekly releases of key data sets illustrate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on U.S. citizens as a U.S. Census Bureau effort to enable data-driven decision-making in recovery planning.

Adapting Public Engagement to Social Distancing
TransitCenter published a new report on the emerging practices of public engagement at a time when large gatherings have been prohibited.

New Ideas in Urban Research
Findings from graduating doctoral students undertaking urban-related research.

What Surveys Say About Generation Z
The oldest members of the generation cohort to follow the Millennials already have two feet in the legal drinking age, and with even more coming of age before the 2020 election, it's well past time to get to know Generation Z.

How Artists Helped a Housing Organization Adapt to Demographic Change
An in-depth look at the lessons one housing organization learned after receiving a multimillion grant to integrate arts and culture strategies in its work. Has the organization changed the way it operates?

Hotels Could Play a Critical Role in Containing Coronavirus in Crowded Cities
Some cities are leasing entire hotels to provide rooms for people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to infected people, to allow for safe and supportive isolation away from family or household members who risk being infected.

Pandemic Endgame
On Monday, the 73rd World Health Assembly convenes virtually for two days. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with a WHO spokesperson about how long we can expect to live with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

An Antiracist Planning and Policy Response to the Coronavirus
What would a crisis response that finally overcomes the history of slavery and structural racism in the United States look like?

Visualizing the Coronavirus Pandemic
Mapping of the crisis is producing a fascinating and important trove of cartographic records.

Dangerous, Distracted Drivers Take More Joyrides During Lockdown
Some motorists see open roads as an opportunity for stress relief. Transportation officials urge motorists to slow down, citing dramatically increased rates of speeding since the onset of the pandemic.

Housing Costs More Than a Matter of Supply and Demand
Does new market rate housing increase the average cost of housing, by inducing demand, or does it help stabilize the housing market by offering new supply? The debate continues in San Francisco.

The Great Scandinavian Pandemic Experiment
Perhaps no nation has captured more media attention in its handling of the coronavirus pandemic than Sweden. Unlike most of Europe, it never went into lockdown, relying mostly on voluntary social distancing. The state epidemiologist devised the plan.

Another Planning Commissioner Ousted After Coronavirus Controversy in California
Another cautionary tale of a planning commissioner that went too far during the social upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic, and has since been removed from their civic position.

Survey Data on Coronavirus Effects Reveal Racial Lines
The economic and health effects of coronavirus have spread unevenly across racial lines in the United States, as further revealed by new research from the Pew Research Center.

Editorial: Save the City by Investing in Equity
A New York Times editorial presents a resoundingly pro-urban call to action regarding the future of planning and investment.

An Unlikely State Emerges as Nation's Premier Contact Tracer
The Peace Garden State is one of a handful of rural states never to have issued a stay-at-home order, yet it is number three in coronavirus testing per capita and number one in contact tracing, two of the four tools needed to contain COVID-19.

Elevators Are Not the Villain
Even some defenders of urbanism fear buildings that are tall enough for elevators. This fear does not seem to be supported by New York infection data.

Transit Service Restored in Seattle Area, With New Social Distancing Practices in Place
Seatback signage and reduced capacity will allow King County Metro to begin resuming bus service. In the wake of staff illness and depleted funding, the road to Metro's recovery could be quite long.

Design in the Time of Cholera: How Pandemics Reshaped the Built Environment
Some of the most beloved public parks and essential advances in public sanitation can be traced back to their roots in the Cholera outbreaks in the 1800s.

Task Force Would Ensure Social Justice in COVID-19 Response in Pittsburgh
If approved by the Pittsbugh City Council, the proposed Greater Pittsburgh Covid-19 Racial Equity Task Force would work toward more equitable distribution of economic and public health resources, during the coronavirus pandemic and after.
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