Social / Demographics
Report: D.C. Metro Area Still Needs More Housing
Despite a downtown construction boom, housing is still scarce across the Capital Region. And nearly two-thirds of new homes built since the year 2000 have been single-family structures.
How the Middle Class Is Faring on Housing
While the middle class does not face the same kind of nationwide affordability crisis as low-income populations, geography and demographics are placing new stress on middle-income households.
Watch: 'Revitalization Without Gentrification'
Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns sits down for an interview with Derek Avery, "a community-conscious real-estate developer based in Dallas, TX."
Does Oakland Have a Future as a Public City?
The city is experiencing significant growth and development, but it has a complicated history of booms and lags and its civic future is uncertain.
Nighthawks No More: N.Y.C. Diners Face an Uncertain Future
Diners are part of social and cultural landscape of New York City, but many are closing as owners contend with increasing development pressures.
Nevertheless, the Youthful Preference for Urban Living Persisted
A forthcoming study, to be published by the Journal of Regional Science, finds the urban preferences of younger generations growing over the past three decades.
Creating Suburban Exclusivity in the City
City life is being sold as a convenient version of the suburbs, with similar amenities minus the time-consuming commute.
New on Netflix: How Street Vendors Create Vibrant Cities
Street vending has been a contentious issue in many places, but this part of the informal economy is important to the social and economic well-being of cities.
How Wealthy Suburbs Block Outsiders From Economic Opportunity
Exclusionary zoning and land use tactics have a long history in the United States, retaining startling relevance in contemporary times. A deep investigation into Connecticut land use politics reveals just how entrenched these practices are.
What Do Cities With Fewer Cars Have in Common?
A new analysis looks at how income and population density are related to car ownership and some ways that the design of cities can help lessen car dependence.
An Urban, Technologically Enabled Era of Retirement
A feature article in Marketwatch describes a future for retirement communities that look more like WeWork than the golf course-adjacent exurban communities of the 20th century.
Stampede of New Residents Challenges Fort Worth
An interview with Fort Worth Planning and Development Director Randle Harwood on the planning practices and ideas driving the future of one of the nation's fastest growing cities.
Are U.S. Homeless Worse Off Than India's Poor?
In photographs and written observations of a recent trip to Mumbai, India, former SPUR Director Jim Chappell queries how the lives of the poorest people there compare to the lives of low-income Americans.
Transit Needs Improvements Sooner Rather Than Later
The Los Angeles transit system is losing riders, but L.A. Metro has been slow to implement changes that could keep people using it.
Drop the Ballyhoo: Where Do Educated Millennials Actually Live?
A common narrative about Millennials: their preference for urban environments like San Francisco and New York City. To what degree is the stereotype real?
Census Releases New City Population Change Estimates
The U.S. Census released new population and housing units estimates for cities today. Phoenix added more residents between July 2017 and July 2018 than any city in the country.
Baltimore Anti-Discrimination Bill a 'Half-Measure'
Baltimore's City Council has banned source-of-income housing discrimination, but the bill leaves landlords a way out.
Shared-Equity Homeownership: A Primer
Alternative models of homeownership involving shared equity may be able to offset the urban housing crunch. They include the subjects of this discussion: community land trusts and housing co-ops.
Asthma and Planning
Re-evaluating the role of planning in creating, and reversing, disturbing public health outcomes, like asthma rates among African-Americans in Philadelphia.
The Political Segregation of U.S. Cities
Not all urban dwellers are as liberal as conventional wisdom would have us believe.
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
