Social / Demographics

Where Enforcement of Jaywalking Equals Criminalization of Homelessness
Records in Salt Lake City show that police in Salt Lake City concentrate jaywalking enforcement in the corner of the city that houses most of the city's homeless services.

California Migration Boosts Nevada Population Above 3 Million
Californians fleeing the nation's highest housing prices were key to Nevada's growth according to newly released Census data. The Las Vegas Review-Journal's reporter, editorial board, and readers all had something to say about the newcomers.

Calling for More Humane Treatment, and News Coverage, of the Homeless
Two articles raise questions about the state of humanity, as evidenced by the way news organizations and politicians write and talk about the homeless.

U.S. Migration Reaches 72-Year Low
Staying in place is more and more the norm, even among historically mobile young people.

Study: Boomers Leaving Their Homes Will Dramatically Increase Housing Supply
New analysis by Zillow predicts a "Silver Tsunami" of residential properties coming to the market as Baby Boomers leave the housing market. The effect could be like the housing boom of the mid-2000s.

Blade Runner's Dystopian World and the L.A. of Today
The original "Blade Runner" takes place in the Los Angeles of November 2019. How does the film’s vision of the city compare with the present-day reality?

Street Vending Makes Public Spaces Better. Stop Criminalizing It.
While recent crackdowns on street vending suggest it is a problem to be fixed, the reality is that street vendors energize urban spaces and make them more accessible for everyone.

Oregon Congressman Takes on Federal Housing Policy
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) offers perspective on the U.S. housing crisis, the scale and complexity of which he argues demands affirmative federal action.

Lawsuit Would Force Central Valley City to Comply With California Housing Law
The city of Clovis, California, didn't become 70 percent white by accident, according to the plaintiffs for a lawsuit in Fresno County Superior Court.

The Food Deserts of Rural America
When a town doesn’t have a grocery store, it means people don’t have access to food. But grocery stores also play an essential social and economic role in rural places. Community stores are trying to fill in the void.

Election 2019: Changing Demographics Explain Democrats' Victory in Virginia
It's not suburbs vs. cities but inner vs. outer suburbs that determined the outcome of elections in Virginia last Tuesday that flipped the General Assembly from red to blue.

What Would Cities Look Like if They Were Designed by Women?
Cities are built by men, and so too often urban design does not reflect the needs, perspectives, and realities of women.

Walkable Neighborhoods Set the Stage for Upward Mobility, Study Says
New research out of the University of Virginia makes the case for walkable neighborhoods as incubators of economic mobility.

Living in the Gentrified Version of Fort Greene, Brooklyn
The New York Times notes the gentrification of Fort Greene, but caters to the people would looking for places to live in the neighborhood.

Detroit Tax Abatement Will Keep Senior Renters in Upscale Building
The city worked with the owners of an apartment building to maintain lower rents so longtime residents would not be displaced after renovations.

Toronto's Poverty Plan Meets the Budget Process
Toronto approved a ten-year poverty reduction strategy in 2015, but the policies and programs included in that plan still require budgetary commitments.

Two Years In, a Look at the Twin Cities Fare Discount Program
In 2017, Metro Transit in the Twin Cities raised fares but also started a program for low-income riders to help ease the burden of travel costs.

Strategies for Discussing Urban Revitalization in Context of Gentrification
With concerns about gentrification sometimes, and in some places, dominating the discussion, it can be difficult to advocate for revitalization.

Can Reparations Right the Wrongs Caused by a Highway?
An elevated highway destroyed an African American community in Syracuse, New York. Is just removing it enough?

Urban and Suburban Lifestyles More Similar Than Thought, Study Says
The differences in the ways people who live in the city spend their time versus the way people who live in suburbs spend their time are few and small.
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