Social / Demographics

'Rust Belt Chic' Not Enough to Attract Millennials in Some Cities
The city of Toledo, Ohio provides a case study in how the best intentions of attracting degree-holding Millennials can come up short.
Suburban Woes Follow After Companies Depart for Cities
It's not bad enough that the Northeast is losing population to the South and West. As companies decamp from the suburbs, pristine communities, many where apartments are outlawed, are seeing a steady decline in housing values.

Horsey! Grassroots Public Art Connects People, Past, and Present
Never underestimate the power of whimsy in the built environment. A genuine and unconditional spirit of welcome and inclusion can be found in the most unexpected forms of participatory art.
New Future Cities Accelerator Will Scale Up Urban Innovation
The Rockefeller Foundation and the Unreasonable Institute want to help small organizations implement big ideas around the US.

New Jersey Gas Tax Standoff Leaves Construction Workers in the Lurch
The plight of laid-off laborers who had been repaving a New Jersey bridge illustrates that people suffer as well as infrastructure and mobility when transportation funding bills fail to pass.

The Los Angeles Mystery
A blog post exploring why Los Angeles is more car-dependent than some less dense cities.

Transportation Network Companies Increase Mobility for Underserved Communities
A recent op-ed posted here warned against new transportation technologies and instead encouraged cities to invest in public transit and walkable communities. However, transportation network companies claim to have increased transportation equity.
1 in 5 Americans Now Living in Multi-Generational Households
The number of Americans living in multi-generational households is approaching levels not seen since the 1950s.
Why Planners and Other Built Environment Professionals Should Pay Attention to Pokémon Go
Pokémon Go represents the coming of age of a powerful new technology: augmented reality. PIA Young Planner Nick Kamols applies a planner's perspective to what today's anime-based craze might tell us about what's coming tomorrow.

Will New Transportation Technologies Affect Lower Income Households?
Kevin Cashman, a Truthout researcher, asks in this op-ed if lower income people will not only be left out from the transportation technology revolution, e.g., EVs, AVs, car-hailing, but will they be hurt by it?
Environmental Injustice and Police Violence Overlap Across the U.S.
Being a person of color in the United States means being physically vulnerable to both environmental hazards and police violence, two professors argue.

Los Angeles' Chief Technology Officer Helped to Connect City on Transit and Transparency
Chief Innovative Technology Officer of Los Angeles, Peter Marx, recently stepped down. But first, he offers some lessons learned during his tenure, which included an L.A. mobility app and a successful open data initiative.

U.S. Divisions Between Urban and Rural Aren't as Clear as Politicians Suggest
Urban vs. rural is just one example of the many false dichotomies presented as fact during the presidential campaign. A more nuanced understanding of these terms reveals more of the country's real character.

Study Documents the Shifting Racial Boundaries of Gentrifying Cities
New research finds evidence of racial "boundary movements," in older, denser U.S. cities. The research explains more about why gentrification feels like such a powerful force, for those experiencing its effects.

China's Urbanization Boom May Be Slowing
After a period of modernization and urban growth unrivaled in human history, several forces promise a slump, or at least a slowing. Maybe it's time to improve existing cities, not keep building new ones.
To Bring Water to the Village, Teach Villagers About Water
In Nicaragua, villagers' access to freshwater resources is sometimes impeded by a gap in coordination between the self-governing indigenous communities present there. WaterAid worked with locals in one village to change just that.
5 Cities Launch the 'Racial Equity Here' Initiative
The idea behind the "Racial Equity Here" initiative: dismantle systematic racial inequality.

Safe Streets for Whom?
An equity strategist offers advice on creating safe streets programs that address systemic racism.

Report: Britain's Suburbs on the Decline
London's central core never experienced the deterioration many American downtowns lived through, but the inner city/suburb dynamic was still at play. Now poverty is moving outward.

A Case for Integrating Housing and Healthcare Services
Connecting affordable housing and healthcare programs can improve both—especially for seniors and disabled people.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie