Two recent studies suggest urban areas and geographic regions have distinctive temperaments.
The first divided cities into 'head' strong and 'heart' strong, finding municipalities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and New York have higher levels of creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness and love of learning, while places like El Paso, Mesa, Omaha and Nashville exhibit more compassion, teamwork, hope, modesty and religiousness.
Another study examined personalities at the regional level, culling data from three-decades of survey responses. Results assess levels of neuroticism, openness, agreeableness, extraversion and conscientiousness. For example, the Northeast is high in neuroticism and extraversion and low in agreeableness, while the Pacific is high in openness and low in conscientiousness.
Eric Jaffe says researchers point to several factors behind the distinctions, chiefly selective migration, social influences and ecological influences. He also suggests the urban 'personality' premise is familiar:
"The work builds off recent observations made by Richard Florida, whose 2008 bestseller Who's Your City described how the so-called personality of a city indeed reflects the personalities of its residents."
FULL STORY: New Research Finds That Certain Personalities Flock to Certain Cities
What Are America's Fastest-Growing Cities?
Views about urban growth and decline often rely on statistics for metropolitan regions rather than cities proper. Here, Richard Florida looks at the fastest- and slowest-growing cities in America, separate from their metro areas.
Study: Good Access to Transit Attracts Startups
Startups are increasingly abandoning the suburban office park to try their luck in denser urban cores. According to this study, good transit is one factor behind that trend. But it's not the only one.
How Some Cities Are Losing People and Staying Prosperous
Population loss doesn't always equate to economic decline. Richard Florida discusses a study examining American metros that are retaining their economic vitality as they shrink.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie