Social / Demographics

Shanghai China

Population Limits Push Residents Out of Beijing and Shanghai

In top-tier Chinese cities like Shanghai and Beijing, new population caps have spurred the relocation of residents, many of them low-income, to smaller cities and the outskirts.

March 31, 2018 - The Guardian

McMansions

Grim Demographics for Outer Suburbs in the East and Midwest

While migration bolsters the populations of outer suburbs in the West and the South, their counterparts in the East and the Midwest show signs of decline. That includes well-off areas.

March 30, 2018 - The New York Times

Disable Access

Tech Partnerships Seek Greater Mobility for the Disabled

Tech-focused civic partnerships may be one way to unlock greater urban mobility for disabled people. Tools in the works include navigation apps with specialized sound cues and "smart canes" that interact with invisible paint.

March 29, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

Homeless

Protests Push O.C. to Kill Its First Real Plan to Help the Homeless

The affluent county finally authorized a concrete plan to address a housing crisis, but forceful opposition from residents put them 'back to Square One.'

March 29, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Senior Pedestrians

AARP Announces 'Quick-Action' Community Challenge Grant

The program funds projects that improve mobility and livability "for all ages."

March 29, 2018 - Streetsblog California

Los Angeles Homeless

L.A. Metro’s Homeless Outreach Teams Report Back

The transit agency's year-long experiment with homeless services has placed 19 people in permanent housing and spurred hopes of expanding the program.

March 28, 2018 - KPCC

Highway Living

Outcomes of the Federal Highway Program: Inequality and Polarization

It's a vicious cycle: highways enable white flight, establishing a power base for a political party opposed to urban transportation systems.

March 28, 2018 - Stanford News

Los Angeles in 1939, as determined by the  Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC).

The Legacy of Housing Discrimination Still Haunts Minorities

The practice of redlining was outlawed in 1977, but its effects have been indelible.

March 27, 2018 - Jerrod A. Laber

Governors' Report: No Improvement in Pedestrian Fatality Rate Last Year

Elaine Herzberg's death by autonomous vehicle on March 18 in Tempe was a "first," but what of the 224 pedestrians that died last year in Arizona, the nation's most dangerous state for pedestrians according to a 50-state report released Feb. 28?

March 24, 2018 - Governors Highway Safety Association

California

Silicon Valley Isn't Really Over

Though a handful of recent articles predicted "peak Silicon Valley," new numbers show the region is still producing lots of good jobs and attracting plenty of venture capital.

March 22, 2018 - Bloomberg View

Broadway Bike Lane

A 'Redlining' Bike Tour

All it takes a map, a bike, and a desire to learn the history of racial segregation in the United States.

March 20, 2018 - KUOW

Hate Groups in the U.S. Are Both 'Concentrated and Considerably Spread Out'

A new study shows that these groups exist in around 10 percent of counties, and those counties are scattered across all 50 states.

March 19, 2018 - CityLab

Park Fountain

Where Population Declines but the Economy Grows

While the scale of Detroit's population loss is well known, the lesser known that the city's economy has grown steadily in recent decades. It's not alone.

March 17, 2018 - StatChat

Uptown Oakland

Census Projections: U.S. Will Become 'Majority Minority' in 2045

William H. Frey reports that new Census projections have the United States becoming "minority white" in 2045.

March 17, 2018 - Brookings

Houston, Texas

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.

March 14, 2018 - Forbes

Times Square

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.

March 10, 2018 - Urban Omnibus

Metro Gold LIne

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.

March 9, 2018 - The Architect's Newspaper

Exurbs Black and White

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.

March 8, 2018 - Pacific Standard

Demonstration

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.

March 8, 2018 - Dave Biggs

El Paso

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.

March 7, 2018 - The Architectural League

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.