Social / Demographics

Coronavirus Declared a Pandemic. What Does That Mean?
The director-general of the World Health Organization announced on Wednesday that the COVID-19 viral disease that has killed more than 4,000 people, infected nearly 120,00 people and is present in 114 nations is a pandemic.

Reforming Local Development Regulations for Sustainable Megaregions
Managing development at the scale of megaregions is possible. An excerpt from the recently published book, "Designing for the Megaregion: Meeting Urban Challenges at a New Scale," written by Jonathan Barnett, explains how.

Study Reveals Gender Dynamics of Professional Planning Practice
A new study published by the Journal of the American Planning Association details the gender dynamics of planning offices around the country, finding challenges with exclusive communication (i.e., shutting women out from workplace communication).
A Nation of 60 Million on Lockdown
Should the United States be watching Italy for lessons on how to contain and mitigate the coronavirus?

The Census Faces its Toughest Challenge Yet: Coronavirus
Census 2020 faced funding challenges, leadership changes, and unprecedented politics on its way to a big launch this week. Now the coronavirus is sending people into social isolation, making the process of an accurate count very difficult.

The Basement Apartments of Seoul’s Urban Poor
The lives of Seoul's poorest residents in squalid below-ground housing are brought out of the shadows in the film "Parasite."

Minneapolis Riverfront Project Raises Issues of Equity
The Upper Harbor Terminal project is set to transform an area north of downtown, but residents are concerned about the long-term impacts and outcomes.

Competing Funding Strategies Promoted for Bay Area Transit Mega-Measure
Two Bay Area transportation sales tax measures affecting three Bay Area counties performed poorly on Super Tuesday, but it hasn't deterred the groups backing a nine-county mega-measure. Progressive groups are proposing non-sales tax alternatives.

In U.S., Income Growth Dispersing to More Places
The country’s economic pie is sliced up differently now as growth in metropolitan areas involves either income or population increases—but not both.

Dispute Over Siting of Coronavirus Quarantine Facility in Washington State
The Seattle area is ground zero for the coronavirus in the U.S., where 10 of the 11 deaths as of March 5 have occurred. King County's decision to purchase a motel in Kent for use as a quarantine facility is being met with protests by city officials.

NIMBY Politics Sway the Fight to Contain Coronavirus
A week after the Orange County city of Costa Mesa filed a restraining order against the federal government and the state of California over the use of a state-owned facility as an isolation site for coronavirus patients, the feds dropped the plan.

No Slowdown of Out-Migration of Black Residents from Chicago
The city of Chicago continues to see a decline in population, including tens of thousands of African-Americans who have left in recent years.

Utah Officials Want to Replace the State Gas Tax
The state auditor and the transportation chief argue that the gas tax is an unsustainable funding source caused by a projected increase in electric vehicle adoption and an increase in fuel efficiency of gas-powered vehicles.

Déjà Vu: Republican Legislators Flee From Capitol to Stall Climate Bill
Republican state lawmakers repeated a tactic they successfully deployed last summer to prevent the passage of a bill that would have made Oregon the second state, after California, to place a price on carbon emissions from most economic sectors.

LeBron James Wants Kids to Bike
The NBA star says bikes have played an important role in his life, and he wants young people to have the same access and freedom that biking gave him.

How Shrinking Cities Are 'Right Sizing'
Case studies in dealing with population loss from Ohio, Maryland, and Massachusetts.

Indigenous Peoples Lead Fight Against Climate Change
Tribal communities are preparing for climate impacts by drawing on their deep understanding of the relationship between humans and the natural environment.

San Antonio's Housing Equity Crisis Traced to Planning Roots
Lending and planning policies have split San Antonio residents into haves and haves for decades, according to a large feature published recently by the Rivard Report.

What Determines the Public Health Outcomes of Cities?
There's no one no defining attribute that determines whether a city is healthy or not, as a growing and evolving body of research shows.

Survey Reveals Key Knowledge Gaps Regarding 2020 Census
Most Americans are aware that the 2020 Census is underway, but many still lack information about key details of the big, national headcount.
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