Social / Demographics

Deep Economic and Racial Injustice Found in California Pollution Exposure
A new study confirms the facts of environment justice that has long been common knowledge in affected communities. Now the evidence can be mapped, as well.

More Bad Polling News for Cordon Area Congestion Pricing in the U.S.
Only a handful of cities in North America are considering applying tolls to congested urban streets, as opposed to highways. Efforts in one of those cities, San Francisco, just received negative polling results on a potential $3 auto access fee.

Post-Recession Migration Patterns of Younger and Older Americans
New census data shows that millennials and seniors are migrating less, a result of the Great Recession and its economic impacts. For those who are moving, cities in the Sun Belt have been primary destinations.

How Transit Creates a Two-Tiered Transportation System in America
Transit is not providing what many travelers need, in terms of both location and service. The result is that transit use is a time and financial burden for those who can least afford it.

Interactive Maps of Flooding Risks Offer New Climate Planning Tools
"Neighborhoods at Risk" offers new tools for illustrating the threats posed to communities by climate change.

Economic Independence or Auto Dependency?
A new study calls for "universal auto access" to combat poverty. It recommends subsidizing auto ownership or access for those who are economically unable to afford the high cost of owning, maintaining, and operating a personal motor vehicle.

A Case for Giving Midsized Metro Areas More Attention
As major cities draw in wealth and population, midsized metros may be getting less attention than they deserve. After all, many of their economic, demographic, and political challenges resemble those of the nation as a whole.

Study: Kids Do Worse in Schools Near Traffic
Moving to a school with higher levels of traffic pollution could impact students' academic performance, according to new research.

Study: Bike Infrastructure Short Changes Lower-Income Residents, People of Color
A new study by researchers from Harvard University addresses bike equity, which is a powerful tool for increasing access to transportation and reducing inequality in U.S. cities

The Racial Complexities of Gentrification in L.A.
In some Latino neighborhoods, the gentrifiers are also Latinos. The result is a complicated mix of culture, change, and resistance.

L.A.'s Long History of Informal Housing
The story of informal housing is one of changing racial and class demographics, economic opportunity and needs, and regulatory control.

L.A. Program Seeks to Boost Construction of Homeless Housing
The Los Angeles plan to build supportive housing for homeless people is lagging and costing much more than anticipated. A new pilot program seeks to overcome these hurdles by soliciting new ideas and strategies from developers.

The 'Suburban Decline' Narrative Is Overstated
While suburbs are changing, that doesn't mean they are declining, according to recently published research.

What’s Behind the Free Transit Coming to Luxembourg
All of the country’s buses, trains, and trams will be free starting next year in a move to help residents struggling with the cost of living.

Study: Housing Vouchers Fuel Racial Segregation
The trend should serve as a "wake-up call" for housing policy, researchers say.

Where the Children Are
Richard Florida counters the idea that children and families are disappearing from U.S. cities.

Mapping Change – A New Interactive Tool for Boston
The latest example of the Internet's power to make deliver data and maps to the masses, produced by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

Funding Focus in Push to Diversify Minneapolis Neighborhood Groups
The leadership of neighborhood associations does not reflect the city’s demographics. In the future, funding of the groups could be dependent on reaching diversity benchmarks.

If Road Pricing Is Inherently Unfair and Regressive...
Road pricing has its faults as a revenue measure, but it needs to be compared to ten elements of the current system of paying for transportation, including hidden subsidies, says Joe Cortright, an urban economist with Portland-based City Observatory.

More Concern for the 2020 Census: Misinformation on Social Media
The Census Bureau expects misinformation campaigns like those leading to the 2016 President Election to sway the results of the 2020 Census.
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