You don't know how you get there, but you're there. And you can't leave. You're a prisoner among hundreds of other prisoners, but you're the only one who knows it. Or at least you think you know it. Are you really still a prisoner if you forget you're being held against your will? Existentialism aside, what if it's your environment that's taking away your sense of individualism?
Social / Demographics
Transit Use is Growing, But Not Where You Think
Transit saw some big ridership increases over the past few years, but maybe not where you'd expect. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows the top ten metropolitan areas where transit use has increased the most.
Climate, Housing and Health: A Tripartite Challenge for the Poor
Recent weather related news usually includes mounting death tolls, as typhoons, hurricanes and other natural disasters devastate populations. The intensity and frequency of, and damage inflicted by, these natural occurrences are directly related to climate change, and sadly, those most vulnerable are also the least prepared. The shift in climate has severely impacted life in informal settlements (slums), not the least of which is the already inadequate state of health.
Suburbs See Rise in Kids in Poverty
2008 Census estimates reveal that in the city center of Fort Worth, Texas, the number of school-age children living in poverty has dropped whereas the surrounding suburban communities have seen increasing numbers.
Fort Worth Star Telegram
The Park Prescription
One doctor has begun advising her patients to simply take a walk in the park to improve their overall health. And as she describes in this article, she's not alone.
The Washington Post
Small Cities Struggle Through Recession
Smaller cities are showing signs of struggle, as the amount of college-educated residents continues to drop. Coupled with the economic recession, smaller cities seems to be taking a harder economic hit than their larger counterparts.
Kansas City Star
Suburban Utopias?
This article from the Guardian argues that despite years of derision, suburbia is gaining a more positive reputation as "utopia in a big way".
The Guardian
Mapping: Not Just For Geographers Anymore
Citizen volunteers are democratizing the field of online mapping, spreading out to document neighborhoods and streets worldwide.
New York Times
Transit Expansion is Streetlife Expansion in L.A.
An extension of one of L.A.'s light rail lines opened this past weekend. Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne offers a hopeful prediction that the extension will inspire an improvement in streetlife.
Los Angeles Times
Jaywalking Not As Big A Safety Issue As Assumed
Over the past 15 years, more than 76,000 pedestrians have been killed in the U.S. Some say preventing a significant portion of these deaths is as simple as enforcing jaywalking laws. Not so, argues Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic.
Slate
Mapping the Hard to Count
Undercounting is likely one of the biggest challenges facing the U.S. Census Bureau as it prepares to run its decennial census in April. Certain parts of the country will prove problematic when it comes time to count.
The New Republic
Sweden Goes YIMBY
In Stockholm, Sweden, a new group calling themselves YIMBY 'Yes in My Backyard' is promoting a vision of a dense, dynamic city.
The Christian Science Monitor - Global News Blog
Barroom Dispute Lands Planning Professor in Handcuffs
An argument in a New York City bar elevated to violence recently, when a male Columbia University planning professor punched a woman in the face.
The New York Times
Beautiful Beirut
A former Beirut resident returns to the Lebanese city to find a vibrant and emerging tourist destination, but with many of the quirks of a developing country.
The Guardian
Problems Loom for Urbanizing India
Two sets of graphs from show demographic trends in India that are likely to create a heavily urbanized country. But they aren't building the infrastructure to back up the growth, according to Thomas Crampton.
Thomas Crampton
Prince Charles, Vancouverism, and the search for Sustainable Urbanism
Tue, 11/10/2009 - 16:01
This past Saturday, I had the honour of joining a group of invited urbanists and sustainability experts, in a special dialogue put on by The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment, and Vancouver's Simon Fraser University. Among other things, the event was to launch a new partnership between these two innovative organizations around research and curriculum for sustainable urbanism.
California Seeks Statewide Growth Strategy
The state of California is unveiling an effort to create a detailed strategy for how the state should grow. The ambitious plan is being kickstarted with a modest $2.5 million investment.
The San Francisco Chronicle
The Art of Civic Engagement
In Starksboro, Vermont, planners are using storytelling and community art projects to get at the heart of what matters to residents.
Burlington Free Press
Types of Development for the Creative Class
Cool Town Studios offers this list of 19 development types for the creative class.
Cool Town Studios
Brain Gain in Eastern Germany
After twenty years of reunification, the eastern part of Germany is finally beginning to lure educated workers back.
The New York Times
