Social / Demographics

Edinburg regional medical center under construction in Edinburg, Texas.

Hitting Its Stride Or Hitting A Wall? South Texas At a Watershed Moment

Can South Texas rise up without drying up?

February 9, 2025 - Greg Flisram

Street with two-story buildings in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.

Population and Economic Shifts in the Wake of the Maui Wildfires

The 2023 Maui wildfires have caused significant out-migration, reduced in-migration, and substantial economic losses, reshaping the island’s population and straining its recovery efforts.

February 6, 2025 - University of Hawai'i News

Avalon Boulevard entrance to Dignity Health Sports Park, on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills, home to the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer in Carson, California.

More Than a Game: How Sports Can Uplift Communities After Disaster

In the wake of devastating wildfires, a professional sports team in Los Angeles is stepping up to support affected fans, offering aid, morale-boosting gestures, and a sense of community resilience.

February 6, 2025 - CNN

Colorful five-story condo buildings with retail on ground floor in Gresham, Oregon.

Condos, a Key Source of Affordable Housing for Homeowners, Are in Jeopardy

Decades of increasing costs and deferred maintenance could lead to people losing their homes unless changes are made.

February 5, 2025 - Shelterforce Magazine

Close-up of smartphone with USDOT website pulled up and screen with USDOT logo in background.

DOT Memo Directs Transportation Funding to Communities With Higher Marriage and Birth Rates, Compliance with Immigration Officials and No Mask Mandates

The memo ties immigration enforcement to federal funding and prohibits mask or vaccine mandates.

February 5, 2025 - Huffpost

Street with old buildings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and modern high-rise buildings in background.

The Philadelphia Loan Program Transforming the Demographics of Development

The Jumpstart loan program is helping Black and female residents become developers.

February 5, 2025 - The Philadelphia Citizen

Close-up of cluster of red paper Lunar New Year lanters at night.

Bringing Communities Together: Lunar New Year Festivities Across LA County

To celebrate the Lunar New Year, LA County Parks is hosting free community festivals at 61 parks, featuring cultural performances, food tastings, crafts, and interactive activities that honor the Year of the Snake and promote unity and tradition.

February 3, 2025 - The Los Angeles Post

Fence with barbed wire and For Sale sign around vacant field.

From Brownfields to Community Assets: A Conference on Land Revitalization

The 2025 California Land Recycling Conference (CALRC) will convene experts in Carson, CA, from September 16-18 to discuss brownfield redevelopment, sustainability, and equitable land reuse, with session proposals open until March 31, 2025.

February 3, 2025 - Center for Creative Land Recycling

The Seat of Government

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership

Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

February 3, 2025 - Todd Litman

Solar and Wind Energy

Equity in Energy: Protecting Livelihoods and Restoring Communities

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy must be equitable, ensuring that workers receive support, communities are revitalized, and degraded lands are restored to create a more sustainable and inclusive future.

February 3, 2025 - PRB+ Magazine

Row of four public restrooms outdoors with snowy mountain in background.

Opinion: Public Restrooms Shouldn’t Be Starbucks’ Problem

The outrage over the chain’s decision to limit the use of its bathrooms should prompt more questions about why the U.S. lacks public restrooms.

January 31, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Multifamily housing under construction.

How Might Tariffs and Deportations Affect Affordable Housing Development?

Many affordable housing developers worry Trump’s proposed taxes on imports and crackdown on immigration will be detrimental to the industry. Others hope deregulation reduces development costs enough to offset those effects. What’s the most likely outcome?

January 30, 2025 - Shelterforce Magazine

Young child riding scooter on gravel path in park.

Parks as Community Lifelines: Supporting Residents During Times of Crisis

The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation demonstrates how parks serve as vital community infrastructure by adapting to crises, offering public health services, disaster relief, and essential support for residents in need.

January 30, 2025 - National Recreation and Park Association Open Space Blog

Row of multicolored three-story apartment buildings.

What Is ‘Affordable Housing’?

For such a commonly used term, “affordable housing” means a lot of different things to different people and in different contexts.For such a commonly used term, “affordable housing” means a lot of different things to different people and in different contexts.

January 30, 2025 - Shelterforce Magazine

View of brick buildings and One World Trade Center building and New York City skyline.

Is the Urban Form Sustainable?

One author offers a framework for resilience that rethinks common assumptions about the inevitability of cities as we know them.

January 28, 2025 - Next City

Senior woman wearing sunglasses sitting in the driver's seat of a silver car.

Survey Shows Boomers Are Unlikely to Stop Driving

Limited transit options and a lack of walkability mean more older Americans will continue to drive their cars as they age.

January 28, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

View from behind of person standing on city sidewalk wearing red and black plaid shirt looking across street at dusk.

Study: Americans Spending Less Time Interacting in Public Space

American pedestrians are moving faster and spending less time connecting with other people when walking down city streets.

January 27, 2025 - Bloomberg CityLab

View of trainsin Hundson Yards and New York City skyline.

Can We Resist Displacement From Transit-Oriented Development?

Transit stations increase nearby jobs and populations, but they could also contribute to displacement. What can we do differently?

January 26, 2025 - Shelterforce Magazine

Smoky sky overlooking Los Angeles skyline during 2025 wildfires.

While California Fires Burn On, Residents Take on Rent Gouging

Residents have already seen online listings skyrocketing in price—despite laws against such hikes. With fires still raging, LA and Pasadena tenants are demanding protections against rent raises and eviction.

January 22, 2025 - Shelterforce Magazine

Professional cleaners wearing medical masks and gloves cleaning desks in large empty office.

The Ripple Effects of Remote Work

The number of Americans who work from home rose sharply during the pandemic and remains high, posing important questions about the future of transportation and housing.

January 21, 2025 - Bloomberg CityLab

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

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.