Social / Demographics

Study Reveals Housing Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples, Transgender Individuals

A study of three of the country's population and cultural centers reveals the kinds of discrimination same-sex couples and transgender individuals are likely to encounter on the rental market.

July 10, 2017 - Urban Institute

Closed Beach

Making the Coast Accessible for Black and Latino Californians

A history of segregation and other barriers have made California's beaches and oceanfront disproportionately white.

July 10, 2017 - High Country News

Jefferson Memorial

Pursuing Inclusion, Equity in the Nation's Capital

The history of Washington, D.C., both recent and distant, has generated one of the most fascinating planning case studies in the country. The man leading the D.C. Office of Planning explains his approach the unique responsibilities of the job.

July 10, 2017 - Josh Stephens

Homeless

Tacoma Relocates Homeless Residents to City-Owned Encampment

Tacoma, Washington is attempting to approach homeless encampments from a public health perspective.

July 8, 2017 - knkx

Twins Logo Sign

Twin Cities Regional Forecast Foresees Steady Growth and Big Changes

The Metropolitan Council has released "The Twin Cities Regional Forecast to 2040: Steady Growth and Big Changes Ahead" to provide a foundation for coordinated planning by the Metropolitan Council and local governments.

July 7, 2017 - Metropolitan Council

Millennials

Another Problem to Blame on Millennials

First the auto companies blamed millennials for not driving enough, and now demographers blame them for the nation's declining birth rate.

July 6, 2017 - The Washington Post

Suburban Three-Car Garage

Autonomous Vehicles: Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out?

The implications of autonomous vehicles for social interactions are potentially vast.

July 6, 2017 - William Riggs

Mt. Adams, Washington

Hidden Crisis: Homelessness on the Reservation

Poverty and evictions among Native Americans are an underreported part of the national homelessness crisis. Often, homeless families stay as long as they can in the dwellings of family and friends.

July 5, 2017 - The Guardian

San Bernardino Skyline

One Developer's Idea for Regional Housing Solutions in Southern California

New housing development is off to a slow start in Los Angeles in 2017. Although the city defeated an anti-growth ballot measure, LA is still faced with a number of policy and legal challenges to building an adequate supply of affordable housing.

July 5, 2017 - The Planning Report

Bus Stop

Op-Ed: There Are No 'Captive' Transit Riders

Alex Baca argues that the dichotomy of "captive" versus "choice," while somewhat distasteful, is also incorrect. Transit can always stand to lose existing ridership through poor service.

July 3, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Organic Agriculture

Can a 'New Ruralism' Save Small Towns?

Small towns are in crisis. To save them, it might take a "new ruralism" of community leadership, volunteerism, and ventures in the creative economy.

July 3, 2017 - ASLA The Dirt

Protest Crowd

L.A. Metro CEO Challenges Trump on Infrastructure Funding

President Trump’s most recent transportation budget is projected to cut transportation spending by 13 percent, potentially undercutting many of Los Angeles' ambitious projects to continue the build-out of a full public transportation system.

July 3, 2017 - The Planning Report

Blackalicious

Gift of Gab's 'The Gentrification Song' Grieves for Lost Communities

An MC worries that hipsters are displacing the poor, and cities are changing for the worse.

July 1, 2017 - NPR

texas

A Closer Look at the Appeal of the Fastest-Growing City in the U.S.

The "small-town feel" of Conroe, Texas is touted as one of the reason for its quick population growth.

July 1, 2017 - The Urban Edge

Seattle

Seattle Tackling Equity Challenges With Global Lens

Seattle is faced with an affordable housing crisis that has led the new Planning & Community Development Director Sam Assefa to look globally for solutions.

June 30, 2017 - The Planning Report

Millennium Park Fountain

Chicago's Black Residents Continuing to Leave the City

The Census shows that black residents are leaving Chicago and the surrounding areas. Many tie the trend to disinvestment in black neighborhoods, including the closings of schools.

June 29, 2017 - Chicago Tribune

Engineering Civic Action Projects (ENCAP)

With Resources Scarce, Bridge-Builders Cultivate Creativity

Innovation means different things to different people. For Bridges to Prosperity (B2P), a nonprofit that builds footbridges in the developing world, it’s a way to help people thrive despite limited resources.

June 28, 2017 - Doggerel

Ballard neighborhood, Seattle

Black Home Ownership Rates in Seattle's King County Continue to Shrink

King County, Washington was once home to a large number of black homeowners, today the county lags far behind the rest of the country.

June 28, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Vancouver Skyline Bikes

Overcoming Density Opponents by Listening to Them

Urbanist Brent Toderian does not begrudge NIMBYs; he values them. In an interview with David Roberts of Vox, he explains that the problem doesn't lie with development opponents as much as it does with the decision-makers.

June 21, 2017 - Vox

Redlining Map

Mapping the Tools of Discrimination

The Innovations in Government Program at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation has announced the first winner of the "Map of the Month" contest.

June 21, 2017 - Data-Smart City Solutions

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.