Satellite Imagery of a Decade's Transformation

Trends in land use and development are made obvious with satellite imagery tracking changes during the 2010s.

1 minute read

January 1, 2020, 5:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Copernicus Sentinel Data

New Orleans, as seen in 2019 with help from Copernicus Sentinel Data. | lavizzara / Shutterstock

Emily Badger and Quoctrung Bui of The New York Times, worked with Tim Wallace and Krishna Karra from Descartes Labs, a geospatial analytics company to track trends in development over the past decade.

"With [satellite imagery's] growing power and precision, we can see both intimate details — a single home, bulldozed; a tennis court, reinvented — and big patterns that recur across the country," write Badger and Bui.

The trends they spot from above are illustrated in the source article, but they read as follows:

  • The Exurbs Boom Again
  • The Urban Core, Redeveloped
  • Diversity Becomes the Norm
  • Big Tech's Imprint
  • Big Tech's Big Boxes
  • Rust Belt Homes, Demolished
  • Transit Transformations
  • After Disaster, Renewal

Friday, December 27, 2019 in The New York Times

courses user

As someone new to the planning field, Planetizen has been the perfect host guiding me into planning and our complex modern challenges. Corey D, Transportation Planner

As someone new to the planning field, Planetizen has been the perfect host guiding me into planning and our complex modern challenges.

Corey D, Transportation Planner

Ready to give your planning career a boost?

Broken, uneven sidewalk being damaged by large tree roots in Los Angeles, California.

The City of Broken Sidewalks

Can Los Angeles fix 4,000 miles of broken sidewalks before the city hosts the 2028 Olympic Games?

December 5, 2024 - Donald Shoup

Large store in mall with yellow and black STORE CLOSING sign on front.

Shifts in Shopping: Transforming Malls Into Parks

Maybe zombie malls still have a second life — one with a little greenery.

December 8, 2024 - Ruscena Wiederholt

Empty street and high-rise buildings in downtown Chicago, Illinois during COvid-19 pandemic.

Major US Cities Still Suffering Downtown Decline

Research shows that the “donut effect” hollowing out central business districts since the pandemic continues to cause economic decline in the 12 largest American cities.

December 3, 2024 - Stanford University News

Close-up of woman in flowered dress holding bar next to white porcelain sink in bathroom.

Survey: Americans Finding it Harder to ‘Age in Place’

While many people over 65 would prefer to stay in their homes and communities, high housing costs and a lack of accessible infrastructure make it difficult.

15 minutes ago - Smart Cities Dive

Sign for MASS MoCA on brick building.

Old Walls, New Homes

From forgotten buildings to thriving neighborhoods, adaptive reuse has the power to transform our cities.

1 hour ago - PlaceShakers

Dense informal settlement on steep hillside in Brazil.

Housing as a Climate Resilience Strategy

Ensuring that housing, including in informal settlements, is safe and healthy for its residents is a key tool in the fight to build more sustainable and equitable communities in the face of climate migration.

December 11 - Time Magazine

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.