United States

The Bike as a Symbol of Freedom
It's no geographic accident that so many of the images emerging from nationwide protests have featured numerous protestors on bikes. These forces have been coalescing for years.

What's So Special About Oregon and Utah?
These two Western states did something that none of the 20 other states in the nation going the wrong way in the pandemic have yet to do: they paused their reopening plans due to rising coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.

Lack of Progress on Racial Justice Is Blocking Progress on Climate Justice
Climate justice and social justice are closely linked. Black climate expert Ayana Johnson explains why racial justice strides are required to make leeway for climate change issues.

Academic Studies: Staying at Home Saved Millions of Lives Globally
Separate coronavirus studies from the University of California at Berkeley and Imperial College London published June 8 in the journal Nature show the life and health-saving value of domestic stay-at-home orders, global lockdowns, and other measures.

Pandemic Expected to Dampen Enthusiasm for Mixed-Use Developments
The retail component of the mixed-use development business model is expected to face a long, challenging downturn, and developers and designers are looking in other directions to make ends meet in the meantime.

Watch: Responding to Anti-Black Racism in Planning and Urbanism
A must-watch conversation between BIPOC researchers and advocates working in the realm of planning and urbanism is available to watch on YouTube.

Can it Happen Here? Is it Happening Here?
An urban planning scholar of foreign conflict shares insights into how recent political unrest in the United States resembles and distinguishes from the ethnic and nationalistic conflict experienced in other countries in recent decades.

Another Way to Achieve Racial Justice: Zoning Reform
An opinion piece calls out suburban communities for perpetuating structural inequality and housing discrimination. Recently converted social justice advocates should focus their zeal on zoning reform, according to the argument that follows.

Vision Zero...Without the Enforcement
As a leading bicycle advocacy organization withdraws support for police enforcement of Vision Zero plans, the discretionary practices of traffic enforcement come under rejuvenated scrutiny.

The Midwest Paces the Nation in Population Loss
Two cities in Illinois are examined as case studies of population decline in the post-industrial economy.

The Housing Market During COVID-19: Supply Dips, Prices Rise
While fewer houses are being bought and sold in the first months of the pandemic, prices are on the rise as buyers find less supply available on the market.

Pollution, Place, and the Unnecessary Tragedy of Premature Death: Lessons for COVID-19
In Louisville, scene of multiple instances of police violence in recent weeks, low-income and Black populations living in neighborhoods dealing with decades of industrial pollution are now suffering the worst public health outcomes of COVID-19.

Reports Offers COVID-19 Recovery Guidance for Struggling Communities
Communities struggling with the economic, social, and health realities of the 21st century must start planning now to mitigate the worst outcomes of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report from the Center for Community Progress.

How Emergency Street Redesign Projects Fell Short of the Black Lives Matter Cause
A leading advocate for a new, equity centering approach explains how plans to redesign streets for the needs of the coronavirus pandemic left behind racial justice as a secondary concern.

The Key to Self-Driving Safety: Priority Over Expediency
Human drivers are fallible. Can automated systems do a better job to reduce the likelihood of car collisions?

The Singapore Exception
Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong were credited early in the pandemic with having successfully contained the coronavirus without resorting to lockdowns. However, Singapore lost its standing in that elite group. Crowding vs. density may explain why.

Designing for Life
A Black architect calls on designers to recommit their training and expertise to account for the health and safety of all, especially those who have been most harmed by the status quo of the built environment.

How COVID-19 Impacted U.S. Traffic Trends
Vehicle miles traveled, collisions, and collision-related injuries have been impacted by shelter-in-place orders nationwide. The level of impact, however, largely varies by region.

Mobility-as-a-Service Providers Disappear Along With Public Transit During Protests
Mobility-as-a-service companies have disappeared when essential workers needed them most, falling short of their promoted role as gap fillers.

Staying Healthy While Riding Public Transit in the Pandemic
Despite what the CDC would like to think, some people have no options other than public transit for mobility. CityLab shares the advice of several experts on the reality of public health risk, and how to take precautions, on public transit.
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