Social / Demographics
Aging Boomer Suburbanites: The Coming Transit Disaster
The suburbs are not conducive to the aging baby boomers that populate them. How do we prepare?
Disturbing Similarities between Vegas and Pyongyang
Essayist and novelist Pico Iyer visits Las Vegas and Pyongyang in rapid succession to find that the capital of freedom and fun is not so dissimilar from the wan capital of the Hermit Kingdom.
Gentrification and the Bay Area's Controversial Growth Management Plan
Is gentrification the inevitable result of land use planning that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by favoring infill development over auto-dependent sprawl? The Urban Displacement Project looks at the unintended effects of Plan Bay Area.
Two Narratives Collide in Post-Katrina New Orleans
“A narrative of rebirth, reform and success that coexists with a narrative of stasis, failure and unrealized dreams.”
Global Call for Ideas Reveals Promising Resilience Solutions
Superstorm Sandy spurred the New York City Economic Development Corporation to form the RISE:NYC program, a global competition for innovative solutions to post-disaster resiliency. Arup's Sarah Wesseler spoke with them to learn more.
Community Ties in the Era of Isolation
Connectivity may form the bedrock of what we call "resilience" but we're just not all that neighborly these days. Can we become more competitive and lasting by restitching our threadbare community fabric?
Cities, the Middle Class, and Children
Joel Kotkin argues that Jane Jacobs's insights are of limited value because cities are no longer useful for middle-class families.
Building a Better Suburb
Suburbs are changing. Instead of "green lawns, sprawling backyards, and lots of parking for cars," now there are "agri-hoods."
Interventions for Urban Youth: Can Summer Jobs and Mentorship Really Affect Violent Crime Rates?
The effects of the program are striking: Sixteen months after the initial lottery, youth offered OSP were arrested for 43 percent fewer violent crimes than the control group.
The Most Popular Forms of Alternative Transportation
When it comes to the Census, the term "alternative transportation" makes perfect sense. Eric Jaffe looks at the 15 metropolitan areas with the lowest auto commuting and describes the most popular alternatives.
Should Architects Be Citizen Scientists?
Can self-contained urban food systems exist in the core of our cities? Architect Darrick Borowski of New York based firm ARExA developed a model to determine just that.
Why the McMansion Isn't Really Back
Joe Cortright criticizes reports linking high median new home sizes to a renewed demand for McMansions. The market for single-family homes, he argues, locks out buyers of modest means. Only the well-off are buying.
The EPA's Lackluster Environmental Justice Record
The Center for Public Integrity has released a report criticizing the EPA's environmental justice competence. In only 12 cases has the agency taken official action on behalf of communities affected disproportionately by polluters.
Traffic Deaths Soar—Is Cheap Gas a Culprit?
An August 17 press release from the National Safety Council indicates the United States is on track to exceed 40,000 road deaths this year, the highest since 2007. A January NPR report links the spike to decreased gas prices.
Stress Test: On the Connection Between Gentrification and Helicopter Parenting
A subject sure to hit close home to many readers: the relationship between the modern concerns of parenting and expense urban living. In other words: how gentrification leads to helicopter parenting.
Escaping the Cycle of Inflated Housing Costs
In an insightful article, William Fulton unpacks the supply-demand cycle driving costs skyward in certain areas. To address the problem, new construction needs an unprecedented level of diversity.
A Central Hub for Open Data
Designed by researchers at the University of Chicago, the Plenario platform gathers all available open data for a specific area. Then it presents the data in an easy-to-use format.
Yes, Urban Millennials Do Drive Less
Proof from the Census Bureau's latest American Community Survey on commuting by auto shows that millennials, if they live in cities, do indeed drive less. Census researcher Brian McKenzie describes the finding in the bureau's blog, Random Samplings.
Household Formation on the Rise—For a Surprising Reason
Writing for the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at U.C. Berkeley, Jed Kolko breaks down the data on recent trends in household formation.
Bay Area Leads the Nation in Reducing Solo Commuters
According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey on commuting to work, one subregion in the Bay Area can claim accolades for having achieved the largest drop in solo-commuting from 2006, scoring the third lowest drive-alone rate in 2013.
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.
City of Clovis
City of Moorpark
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
