Social / Demographics

To his critics, Mayor Bloomberg's initiatives aimed at decreasing smoking, increasing active lifestyles, and tackling obesity add up to the creation of a "Nanny State". A new article challenges the critics by framing him as a public health pioneer.

November 1, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Contrary to popular assumptions, large, transit-oriented cities have lower crime rates than smaller, automobile-oriented cities. Jane Jacobs was right! This column discusses this phenomenon and its implications for transport and land use planning.

October 31, 2013 - Todd Litman

Though research has been piling up on the adverse health impacts connected with driving long distances every day, it turns out that no matter how you travel to work, "having a job far from home can undermine health."

October 29, 2013 - The New York Times

Against a backdrop of increasing spatial segregation of incomes, Robert J. Sampson looks at how neighborhood inequality influences multiple aspects of everyday life. How we address such inequality indicates what kind of society we want to be.

October 28, 2013 - The New York Times

On these pages we usually tout the developed world's decline in driving and car ownership. But in Saudi Arabia, where women are not allowed to drive, the automobile serves as a vehicle for improving human rights.

October 26, 2013 - The New York Times

Some of Denver's leaders are sounding the alarm over rising household income levels and the threat to affordable housing. But in an editorial in The Denver Post, Vincent Carroll argues that an exclusive downtown Denver is better than the alternative.

October 25, 2013 - The Denver Post

Erin Anderssen takes a critical look at the role of our cities in the provision of much needed childcare. While municipally-delivered childcare has been successful in Scandinavia, some Canadian cities are left playing with alternative approaches.

October 24, 2013 - The Globe and Mail

Bike infrastructure is often viewed with skepticism in minority neighborhoods across the U.S. Jay Walljasper looks at how to extend the benefits of biking to communities that often have fewer options for transportation and exercise.

October 24, 2013 - People for Bikes

Though vehicular deaths have been declining across the U.S., pedestrian and cyclist deaths have risen. While intuition might say our ubiquitous cell phones are to blame, hard data has been scarce. A new study seems to support this conclusion.

October 23, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

Are you exceedingly agreeable or exceptionally conscientious? If so, there's a good chance you live in Utah or South Carolina. At least that's according to the findings of a 13-year study into American attitudes conducted by a team of researchers.

October 23, 2013 - Time

Drawn by plentiful jobs and an improving quality of life, millennials helped swell D.C.'s population over the last decade - to the delight of some and dismay of others. In a series of articles, The Post chronicles the city's "millennials moment".

October 22, 2013 - The Washington Post

A new study observes the growing economic and income divide’s impact on America’s neighborhoods. Researchers have found the proportion of Americans living in 'middle class' neighborhoods declining, while 'rich' and 'poor' neighborhoods are growing.

October 20, 2013 - The Huffington Post

Emily Badger is extremely impressed—and for good reason—with the City of Los Angeles' new neighborhood data portal, built in connection with the development a new health and wellness chapter for the city's General Plan.

October 19, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

For the first time, the World Health Organization has identified air pollution, in its entirety, as a cause of cancer, putting it on par with tobacco smoke, asbestos and arsenic. In 2010, 223,000 people died from lung cancer caused by air pollution.

October 18, 2013 - Quartz

Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown served two terms as mayor of Oakland. His attempts to bring more downtown housing to the city led him to veto an inclusionary housing bill that would have required developers to supply affordable housing or pay an in-lieu fee.

October 18, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

Apparently there may be a subconscious reason why so many people are attracted to the architecture of Frank Gehry. Using magnetic resonance imaging, researchers have found that our brains are hard-wired to enjoy curvilinear forms.

October 18, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Design

Creating parks that benefit and reflect the needs of the communities that use them is the goal for both planners and landscape architects. Programming is a big part of this. So is design.

October 18, 2013 - Mark Hough

Have you ever noticed that the image of little man (it's usually a man) in pedestrian traffic icons differs depending on which country you're in? Artist Maya Barkai has, and her new project seeks to explore what these guys say about their culture.

October 17, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

With their anti-urban inward orientation, cul-de-sacs are representative of the auto-oriented, privatized suburban development model. But one sociologist is out to demonstrate their benefits by showing how cul-de-sacs can develop social cohesion.

October 17, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Add a list of the "Top 100 Best Places to Live" to the seemingly endless series of rankings seeking to quantify what's best and worst about our cities and states. Though the inputs have changed over the last 80 years, our desire to rank hasn't.

October 17, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities