Social / Demographics

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.

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.

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.

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.'

AARP Announces 'Quick-Action' Community Challenge Grant
The program funds projects that improve mobility and livability "for all ages."

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.

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.

The Legacy of Housing Discrimination Still Haunts Minorities
The practice of redlining was outlawed in 1977, but its effects have been indelible.
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?

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.

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.
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.

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.

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.

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.
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.
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Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie