One of the interesting parts of my position at the Boston Metropolitan Area Planning Council over the past year has been working with U.S. Census Bureau surveys and data. Since last September, this work has included preparations to ensure the region is prepared for the 2010 Census.
Mandated by the U.S. Constitution to determine political representation, every planner knows the U.S. Census has become the single most important data source for studying American cities. The U.S. Census Bureau produces dozens of surveys, the Census held once every ten years is by far the most important. Many of the other surveys, as well as countless private sector studies and projections, depend on the decennial census numbers.
Social / Demographics
Census 2010: What's Happening Now and What To Expect
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 18:47
Crime Dropping in Major Cities
Crime is down in big cities across America, leaving experts wondering why.
The Washington Post
Safety in Immigrant Numbers
A high rate of poverty, a large population of illegal aliens, and a next-door neighbor to one of the most dangerous cities in the hemisphere, El Paso would seem to be a hotbed of danger. But it's actually one of the safest big cities in America.
Reason
Hopes Cautiously Pinned on Redevelopment
Federal stimulus money is bringing a new health center to a Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Locals are hopeful that the new development will add some prosperity to their poor area, but nobody's especially confident that it will.
The New York Times
A Musical Experiment in Public Space
This piece looks at a public art project that placed 30 pianos in public places throughout London in an effort to encourage more public interaction.
The New York Times
Lighting Fighting Crime
Fighting gang crime in Los Angeles is as easy as leaving the lights on at neighborhood parks.
The New York Times
New Orleans Debates Highway To Boulevard Project
According to a new draft master plan, the Clairborne Expressway may be the next freeway to join the nation's growing highway to boulevard movement.
The Times-Picayune
Eating Healthy Now Required in San Francisco
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has issued a directive that seeks to mandate healthy eating and food production in the city.
San Francisco Chronicle
The City That Killed Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson's life would have been incredibly different (read: more normal) and lasted longer if he lived in New York instead of L.A., argues Gigi Levangie Grazer. She says the isolating qualities of L.A. enabled the downfall of the King of Pop.
The Huffington Post
Keeping an Eye on License Plates
The posh San Francisco Bay Area town of Tiburon is planning to install cameras that record the license plate numbers of all cars coming into town. Police will use the system to apprehend criminals or investigate crimes.
San Francisco Chronicle
Thousands of Crimes Not Displaying on LAPD Crime Map
The Los Angeles Police Department's crime-tracking website has been omitting thousands of violent crimes. 40% of crimes reported so far in 2009 are not included in the public website.
Los Angeles Times
Homelessness is On the Rise in Rural and Suburban Areas
Homelessness has jumped in the nation's suburban areas, according to a study from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Of those in U.S. shelters, 32% are in rural or suburban areas.
USA Today
Next Steps for Shrinking Cities: Results of the Planetizen Brainstorm
Bulldoze? Densify? Walk away? There are many ways cities can react to shrinking populations and abandoned neighborhoods. Planetizen readers decide which ways are the best.
Urbanism, Suburbs and Families: They Can All Go Together
Tue, 07/07/2009 - 16:09
A few weeks ago, I read an online comment suggesting that unnamed "planners" displayed no interest in suburbia, single-family housing or family life, and instead are only interested in improving downtown neighborhoods for single people. If by "planners" the author of this comment meant new urbanists or critics of the sprawl status quo, this claim is simply incorrect.
Over the past month, I have visited half a dozen new urbanist developments in Dallas and Denver (1). All of these developments have a few things in common: all include both retail and residential uses, and all strive for walkability by providing sidewalks and narrow, gridded streets. But the developments differ in two other respects: geography and housing type.
The Informal Economy: Michael Jackson Edition
Tue, 07/07/2009 - 07:43
I couldn't resist. I knew it was going to be a madhouse in downtown L.A. for Michael Jackson's memorial service, but I had to go see what it was like -- not because I'm a super fan, but purely for the urban novelty of a huge swath of downtown closed off for thousands of fans and mourners.
But what really struck me as I was wandering around amongst the masses was the huge percentage of them that were neither fans nor mourners. Lined along the sidewalks leading to the memorial's venue were dozens of vendors, selling everything you could think of with Michael Jackson's name or face pasted on. From buttons to t-shirts to hand-painted portraits, the informal economy was booming down at MJ Central.
Baghdad's Changing (U.S.) Demographics
The population is falling -- the population of U.S. troops stationed in Baghdad, that is.
The New York Times
Census Conspiracy Theories?
With the Census Bureau still without a Director and the 2010 Census looming, the count is facing a new threat in the form of right-wing conspiracy theories.
The Progress Report
Big and Getting Bigger
Cities on the rise are growing faster and cities on the decline are shrinking slower, according to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Wall Street Journal
