Population Growth

The recession is taking its toll on the nation's population growth rate. A lagging birth rate and a precipitous drop in immigration, particularly those entering the country illegally, resulted in a 0.7% growth rate. Immigration is at a 20-year low.

As the world population reaches 7 billion some U.S. builders are working on smaller, compact homes.

Since 2002, California has added 8.3% more drivers while reducing its gasoline consumption by 3.5%. And while taking the lead, they are not alone in this trend. Credit high fuel prices, economic stress and improved car technology for the reduction.

The UN released new demographic projections Thursday that forecast India's urban population will more than double in the next thirty years. UN Under Secretary General Joan Clos said there is an urgent need to discuss urban issues in response.

John B. Calhoun wrote in the 70s about studies he'd conducted that looked at how mice would react when "overcrowded". Since his utopias often turned ugly, he (and many others) extrapolated the results to humans, giving density a bad name.

Officials in Detroit have unveiled plans to taper off public services in certain parts of town unlikely to see their populations rebound and to focus on areas likely to recover.

As Singapore's population booms, officials are working through plans to help the city absorb its people but also provide them with adequate green space.

Officials in Moscow are pushing a plan to double the footprint of the city in order to ease congestion and overcrowding. Some worry sprawling development patters will follow.

A new report from the Brookings Institution tracks where populations are aging in America, and which parts are experiencing booms in young populations.

The Latin American population is on the rise in many parts of the country. Oregon is seeing its own shifts in population, and this piece takes a look at whats driving the changes.

This interactive map from the BBC tracks growth and urbanization in global cities from 1955 up through 2015.

Projections of water shortages and predicted changes in the climate mean bad news for water users in the American West.

Suburban population growth in the U.S. is still on the rise, but new trends show that those suburbs closest to urban cores and those farthest away are driving the growth.

Would you believe its Olive Branch, Mississippi? Since 1990, the Memphis suburb has grown an astonishing 838 percent.

This interactive visualization presents population data and projections for the world's 590 most populated, showing how their populations compare to one another over time.

The National Journal has created a large, zoomable map of the world showing the footprint of humanity on the Earth.

Stray chickens have overrun many parts of New Orleans since it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

States are rowing in population, but not necessarily in terms of their economies. This post from The Atlantic explores why this presumed relationship isn't actually occurring.

As population growth and climate change set in, cities in developing countries will face major shortages of freshwater. A new report looks at how those cities could be affected and what preventive steps they should start taking.

An urban renaissance is underway in Oakland, where a population surge and a fleet of trendy shops has revived parts of a formerly crime-ridden city.