Social / Demographics

As oil prices dip to around $30 a barrel, fears are setting in that North Dakota's oil fields have been overdeveloped. If the current boom goes bust, these towns might find themselves nearly empty.

February 15, 2016 - New York Times

From Motown to grunge, techno to hip hop, modern music came to life in garages, living rooms, churches, and warehouses. Urban design has been instrumental to what we listen to every day.

February 15, 2016 - The Guardian Cities

It's not just millennials anymore. A new study finds more people are going without driver's licenses than in previous decades.

February 14, 2016 - NPR

A map of bike commuters also maps the political conflicts in a changing Washington, D.C.

February 10, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

Scott Doyon rewrote a classic children's book as a history of US cities since World War II. Fortunately, it's a quick read. Unfortunately, it's up to all of us how it ends.

February 10, 2016 - PlaceShakers

A study published February 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association points to three reasons for the life expectancy being lower for Americans than in other developed nations. Care to guess what they are?

February 10, 2016 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Census data shows that Seattle jumped Baltimore to become the country's tenth most densely populated city. Is Seattle on the cusp of a changing of the guard when it comes to density and population growth?

February 9, 2016 - The Seattle Times

One of the sad contradictions of the revival of core urban areas has been the clash between waves of investment and affluence with large populations of homelessness. Many cities are still coming to terms with the issue, much less solving it.

February 3, 2016 - The Wall Street Journal

The only major candidate, Democrat or Republican, to call for an end to the contentious ethanol mandate won the Republican caucus, clearly beating Donald Trump. That could doom what many even in Iowa, among even some farmers, call a boondoggle.

February 3, 2016 - The New York Times - Politics

Louisville, Kentucky has recently been named the "most rapidly growing urban heat island" in the U.S., but what led to this title? Jeff Byles traces how cities are becoming increasingly warm through a number of different factors, including economic.

February 1, 2016 - Doggerel

Maps showing the concentration of medical facilities in Houston, shows a greater density in higher-income areas.

February 1, 2016 - The Houston Chronicle

With the national spotlight rightfully focused on the irreversible effects of lead in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan, another insidious threat remains: motor vehicle emissions affecting children's lungs.

February 1, 2016 - EPA Connect

Newly released data from the Weldon Cooper Center's Demographics Research Group shows a state shifting in population growth northward—toward Washington D.C. and inner ring suburbs.

January 30, 2016 - StatChat

A new book published by the Pew Research Center details the demographic changes that will shape the politics—beyond presidential elections—of the future.

January 29, 2016 - Pew Research Center

A map-making effort by The Washington Post's Wonkblog puts the Western United States' population, or lack thereof, in perspective.

January 29, 2016 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

A new report issued by McGraw Hill Financial Global Institute provides new thinking about how to create "age-friendly cities."

January 28, 2016 - Grist

Down to a population of 197,859 from its 1960 peak of 290,351, the city of Akron is looking for a way to bring people back to its community. One thing Akron has going for it already: an enthusiastic champion of the cause.

January 27, 2016 - Akron Beacon Journal

It's been said that children are the indicator species of urban health and great neighborhoods. By this measure, Oakland is in trouble.

January 27, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

When charrettes and public design workshops reach their most inclusive and transparent forms, do they become social innovation labs? Hazel Borys thinks so.

January 27, 2016 - PlaceShakers

Long abused by those who favor more urban settings, the suburbs of major metropolitan areas should receive more credit for their cultural capital, according to this article written for Zócalo Public Square.

January 26, 2016 - Zocalo Public Square