Social / Demographics

Akron-Cleveland Covered Bridge

Pondering the Continued Existence of the 'Rust Belt'

A recent spate of articles has pondered the concepts and planning strategies at work in the region of the country described as the Rust Belt.

July 26, 2016 - Notes from the Underground

Section 8 Kids

Housing Quality Can Impact Child Development

A home in poor physical condition can be "devastating" to a child's early development, a study of Cleveland kindergarteners found.

July 24, 2016 - The Atlantic

How Will L.A.'s New Inglewood Football Stadium Revitalize South Los Angeles?

The Los Angeles Rams COO details both the stadium's sustainable design and the positive impact the privately funded complex will have on Southern California.

July 22, 2016 - The Planning Report

Lawns and Suburban Homes

4 Reasons Home Ownership Won't Close the Racial Wealth Gap

Homeownership is often promoted as a way for low-income and minority families to build wealth. But it is those very families who assume the most risk in buying a house.

July 22, 2016 - City Observatory

Community Engagement Book

The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean It Up

Dave Biggs interviews author James Hoggan about his new book, "I'm Right and You're An Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean It Up."

July 19, 2016 - Dave Biggs

Telephone Pole

Broadband Inheriting the Discriminatory Patterns of Previous Infrastructure Systems

The challenges of bridging the digital divide are exacerbated by the racist legacies of previous infrastructure systems, according to a recent presentation to the New York Regional Plan Association.

July 18, 2016 - RPA Lab

SEPTA Trolley

Families Departing Philadelphia for the Suburbs

That headlining claim is found in a recent research study from Pew Charitable Trust's Philadelphia Research Initiative—more demographic goodies are included.

July 16, 2016 - NewsWorks

The Sharing Economy Comes to Urban Public Schools

How one firm is integrating sharing economy principles to bolster Chicago's public schools.

July 14, 2016 - Doggerel

Black Lives Matter

Why it Matters When Protesters Shut Down Highways

Emily Badger, writing for The Washington Post's Wonkblog, doesn't let planners off the hook for the racist history of highway planning around the country.

July 14, 2016 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Growth Chart

Population Analysis—Explained and Exemplified

Yonah Freemark provides a comprehensive explainer of the nuts and bolts of population analysis, applying that expertise to an examination of downtown population change.

July 12, 2016 - the transport politic

Cars and Herbie

Americans Shifting Away From the Auto, Maybe

The auto may no longer be "the quintessential symbol of American mobility, status and independence," opines Robert J. Samuelson for The Washington Post, as the latest demographic and auto ownership data point to a change in American mobility.

July 12, 2016 - The Washington Post

Toronto

Toronto Is the Future

As part of "Guardian Canada" week, an author writes a paean to benefits of a growing, forward looking, diverse city.

July 11, 2016 - The Guardian Cities

Elderly Walking

Suburbs Are Failing the Elderly

Around two-thirds of Baby Boomers in metropolitan areas live in the suburbs. But as they age, suburbia seems less and less hospitable.

July 11, 2016 - RenewATL

A Summary of CNU24 Detroit

Miss the Congress for the New Urbanism in Detroit? Hazel Borys shares some highlights, with help from Twitter urbanists.

July 8, 2016 - PlaceShakers

San Francisco Sprawl

The Real Reasons Affordable Housing Isn't Being Built in California

The policy tools used to address our nation's housing shortfall often seem to worsen the problem. But this is because they ignore the underlying infrastructure and financing to support growth.

July 7, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Ghost bike in New York

2015 Road Toll: 35,200 Fatalities

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released preliminary fatality estimates for 2015. Deaths jumped by 2,525, an increase of 7.7 percent over 2014. Pedestrians and bicyclists saw the biggest increases.

July 6, 2016 - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Busy Downtown

New Data on the Shift to Cities

It's no secret that urban centers are doing better today than they were 30 years ago. New FHFA data on housing prices confirms the trend and suggests that a changing environment (as opposed to changing preferences) account for it.

July 6, 2016 - The Washington Post

Portland Oregon Bus

Riding the Bus in Portland: An Essay

Blogger and transit consultant Jarrett Walker paints a picture of Portland's Line 75, a workaday bus serving urban neighborhoods outside downtown. His reflections on radial and orbital journeys are worth a read.

July 5, 2016 - Bus75.org

Community Meeting

The 3 Most Common Community Engagement Mistakes

Planners, like any other professionals, live in a kind of bubble. Those charged with dealing with the public run the risk of expecting too much from residents as they design community engagement activities. Here are some of the most common mistakes.

July 5, 2016 - Dave Biggs

urban park

Is New York Distributing Its Public Plazas Equally?

An analysis of the geographic distribution of New York's new public plazas sought to determine if the program was meeting one of its stated goals: providing access to public plazas for low- and moderate-income households.

July 5, 2016 - Placemeter

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.

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA

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.