Social / Demographics
2015 Was a Record Year for New Vehicle Sales: 17.5 Million
Several key factors, not the least of which was cheap gas, combined to make 2015 a record year for new passenger vehicle sales, smashing the 2009 record of 10.4 million sales and edging-out the prior record of 17.40 million sales in 2000.
Study: Local land Use Regulations Segregate Metropolitan Areas
A new study reveals new understanding about how restrictive land use regulations in urban areas affect economic segregation across metropolitan areas.
On the Suburban South's Troubling Poverty
Land use and transportation planning decisions provide a framework on which other social policies have created particularly isolating and intractable poverty in the South.
It's not Zero, But Traffic Deaths Decreased Last Year in New York City
Traffic deaths dropped by 27 in 2015 to 230, a reduction of over 10 percent from 2014. Pedestrian deaths decreased only slightly. Bicyclists fared better: deaths dropped by 30 percent.

Two Types of Black Suburbanization
African-American migration may reflect an attempt to escape poverty-related social ills rather than an attempt to escape gentrification.

Craft Breweries Follow the Demographics
The spread of craft beer manufacturing around the United States has followed demographic patterns, along with friendly regulations.
Gentrification Fears Spreading in Houston
In a state famous for affordability, people are beginning to ask a question more commonly associated with San Francisco or New York: Is Houston becoming home only to the affluent and the elite?

New Census Data Shows a Return to Old Domestic Migration Patterns
New Census data provides a contemporary view of domestic migration, which has returned to pre-recession patterns.
Civil Rights Activists Target Baltimore Red Line Cancellation
A complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation alleges that Maryland Gov. Hogan's decision to cancel the long-planned Red Line rail project violates the Civil Rights Act.

Visualizing Global Urban Growth Through 2030
Geographer Duncan Smith mapped the predicted trajectory of worldwide urban growth from 1950 through 2030. Concentric circles of different shades show where and when growth was (or will be) the most dramatic.
Both Sides of the Controversial Renewal of the EB-5 Immigration Program
A regional perspective on the Congressional action to renew the controversial EB-5 program.
California's Population Now Tops 39 Million
New figures released by the California Department of Finance show that the state grew by 346,000 (to July 1, 2015). As in past years, the increase comes from natural births and immigration while more left the state than entered.

Detroit's Getting Better, Say Detroiters
According to a wide-ranging poll conducted by the Detroit Free Press, residents have regained some optimism about their city and its management. Sixty-nine percent said Detroit is headed in the right direction.

Rail Access in High Demand Among the Young, White, and Well Educated
Washington, D.C. provides a model for trends found in other cities: people living near transit are trending younger, whiter, and more educated.
Shut It and Gut It: Anchorage Takes Hard Look at Transit Center
After 500 hours of analyzing its downtown transit center, Anchorage officials have come to one conclusion: The only way to fix this building is to shut it and gut it. The transit center, over three decades, has become a blight on Downtown.

The Most Popular Planetizen Posts of 2015
The results of a year's worth of writing, reading, sharing, and commenting are in. These are the most popular Planetizen posts from the year 2015.

Urban Planning's Broadway Moment
Elizabeth Vaughan, the lead character in the Broadway musical 'If/Then' may be the most famous urban planner in the United States, thanks to the star power of Idina Menzel and a surprisingly accurate portrayal of the planning field.

The Cities Best Positioned for Growth Based on the Right Mix of Jobs
Having the right mix of jobs in a local economy might be a predictor for future growth.
Census Data Reveals Slight Decline in Racial Segregation
It's too soon to declare the beginning of the end for segregation, but one demographer is hopeful that there are opportunities to better integrate different racial groups.

Four New Map Books Reviewed
Looking for the perfect holiday gift for a planner? Check out these new map books.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont