Social / Demographics

Sun Belt Cities: Booming Populations, Low GDP Growth
Population trends are often used as a shorthand for a city's economic prowess, but Pete Saunders argues they may be a lagging indicator.

Beacon / Bunker
Kris Graves photographs all 77 NYPD precincts from Tottenville to Edenwald, looking to these buildings—sometimes humble, sometimes imposing—for the face and footprint of law and order in the neighborhood.

L.A.'s Mayor Garcetti Sides With Single-Family Housing Near Transit
Politicians are taking positions on a controversial California housing bill to densify by transit. Even after amendments were accepted on March 1 in response to concerns about displacement and demolitions, the mayor of Los Angeles remains opposed.

White Flight Hasn't Gone Anywhere
White flight gets described as a symptom of the racism of the mid- to late-20th century, but a new study finds evidence that it's still rampant and suggests that it's a sign of contemporary prejudice.

Facing Contention: 21 Tips to Detox Public Engagement
Forces are aligning to increase polarization and tension in public dialog, and planners are increasingly caught in the middle. A recent workshop with 100 engagement experts resulted in a free eBook to help planners detox their public involvement.

City as Border Zone
Architects Ersela Kripa and Stephen Mueller, founders of El Paso firm AGENCY, discuss the reality and rhetoric of the US–Mexico border.

Former President Barack Obama Addresses Gentrification
Former President Barack Obama is facing a new kind of politics while working to support the development plan for the Barack Obama Presidential Center.

Where Mass Shootings Happen
It's tempting to try to find a link between sites of mass shootings, but data shows they happen in all types of American communities.

Building a Child Friendly City
Around the world cities struggle to build a safe, fun, kid-friendly environments.

Austin Proposes Using Blockchain Technology to Help Its Homeless
The city wants to give its 7,000 citizens without permanent homes "[u]nique digital identifiers" to help them get reliable access to services.

Study: Hurricane Maria Killed for Months After Hitting Puerto Rico
According to new research, the tragic impact of Hurricane Maria lingered for months after the storm hit Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, and at far greater magnitude than the federal government has acknowledged.

Utah Legislation Would Allow Children to Play Outside Unsupervised
After passing both houses of state government, a "free range kids" law to allow children to walk to school and play outside unsupervised is headed to the governor's office in Utah.

California Has Been Shedding Residents—For Decades
The state Legislative Analyst's Office looks at California's out-migration data. Every year since 1990, more Californians left for other than states than arrive. Which states are sending their residents here, and where are Californians fleeing to?

After Harvey, Texas Tries State-Run Disaster Relief, With Mixed Results
The scale of the housing recovery effort means some jobs normally handles by FEMA have fallen to the Texas General Land Office.

The Need for an Equitable L.A. River Revitalization
Jon Christensen urges Los Angeles to ensure that new park amenities serve, rather than displace, the river's low-income communities.

How the Federal Government Wants to Use 'Social Impact Partnerships'
Taking cues from the Trump Administration's recently-released infrastructure plan, the government intends to use a public-private partnership model to take on social challenges.

Minorities Have Dominated Millennial Urban Growth
Despite the impression that young white people have reshaped cities' demographics, research shows that non-white Millennials account for the greater part of that growth.

Homeownership Rates for Black Americans Unchanged for 50 Years
There has been precious little progress over the past 50 years in bridging gaps of inequality for Black Americans.
Arts, Sports, and Development in Atlanta
Galleries and clubs ponder inevitable change and gentrification in South Atlanta as developers show interest.
Black Panther's Many Lessons in Urbanism
Black Panther is a smash hit with critics and audiences. In addition to long-needed perspective about race, the movie has presented urbanism in a new light.
Pagination
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions