Social / Demographics

Mourning the Loss of the Dairy Queen in Rural Texas
As populations shrink, small towns are losing an important place to get together,,
Policing is an Information Business
The NYPD vaunts crime mapping technologies from CompStat maps to a vast networked surveillance infrastructure. Who benefits?

To Make the Most of Transit Oriented Development, Include Affordable Housing
Low-income residents are more likely to use transit, and transit needs riders. The relationship seems ripe for mutual benefit.

Massive Waterfront Investment 'Reinvents' Tampa
After decades of planning, the city hopes several huge developments will draw millenials and empty-nesters.

When Pennsylvania's 'Right to Farm' Means Living With the Pigs Next Door
New residents to formerly agricultural area are trying to shut down a hog-feeding operation, but so far without much success.

Plans for Immigrant 'Detention Centers' Revealed at Military Sites Around the U.S.
Plans for temporary facilities designed to house between 25,000 to 45,000 people have been revealed by Time Magazine. Sites in Alabama, Arizona, California,

When Gentrification Follows Transit Oriented Development
From an environmental perspective, transit oriented development is hard to argue. From a socio-economic perspective, transit oriented development must make room for all income levels, according to this opinion piece posted on the NRDC website.

Most Rural Counties Losing Population
Experts expect the 2020 Census to reveal some potentially startling trends of population decline in rural parts of the country.

In Sprawling Charlotte, Traffic Jams Point to Climate Solutions
A look at the relationship between sprawl and climate change mitigation in the fast-growing North Carolina city.

Interactive Maps Explore Barriers to Opportunity
A pair of interactive maps and a report compare access to opportunity in two very different neighborhoods. In both places, residents confront "friction of distance" and feel their input on public decision-making is limited.

Op-Ed: Downtown Denver's Homogenous Renaissance
There's a lot to like about the resurgence of downtown cores. But as is the case elsewhere, Denver's core has only attracted a small subset of the wider city's population. Most people still call the suburbs home.

The Ancient Roots of New Urbanism
The planning values and principles of New Urbanism are deeply rooted in human history. What does this look like, and what can we learn from it? The archaeology of an ancient Mayan city sheds some light.

The Happy Jail
Where do the street trees come from, and where does the compost go? Rikers Island was New York City's growing outpost for years. But does “greening” the jail always improve things for prisoners?

Sued for Gentrification
A lawsuit against the District of Columbia claims deliberate actions to attract "creative" workers discriminates against low-income and African American residents.

Book Review: The Divided City, by Alan Mallach
Jason Segedy's review of a must-read for all planners interested in the subject of "Legacy Cities."

Looking for the Causes of Suburban Poverty
Why is poverty increasing in the suburbs? It's not as simple as blaming the shifting demographics of the urban core.

Means-Based, Transit-Fare Discounts Take a Leap Forward in the Big Apple
The 2019 New York City budget includes $106 million to subsidize half the transit fare for qualified residents for six months. The city joins the ranks of Seattle, Toronto, and the Bay Area that offer income-based discounts for transit fares.

As Canadian Cities Grow, Survey Finds Happiest Canadians are in Smaller Communities
The happiest people in Canada, according to a survey of life satisfaction, tend to live in significantly less dense communities than the least happy.

Study: There's a Lot of Vacant Land in Texas Cities
All that empty acreage means that these big, rapidly developing cities don’t really have to sprawl.

How City Planning Can Affect How Diseases Spread
There are many ways that city planning and urban design can mitigate, or exacerbate, the spread of public health risks.
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