Social / Demographics

Scientists are studying whether the stresses of living in urban environments increases the risks of developing mental health disorders. Global urbanization is making the question an urgent one, writes Alison Abbott.

October 12, 2012 - Nature

A free digital toolkit allowing communities to collect, analyze, and share their own data will be launched nationally at the end of the year.

October 11, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Design

For planners searching for hard to find historic census data in a GIS-ready format, the National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) may be the one-stop shop you've been looking for.

October 11, 2012 - APA

Ben Brown argues that design adaptations intended to accommodate America's swelling senior population by "aging in place" will be unable, on their own, to meet the challenge. He looks at one model of support that goes beyond universal design.

October 9, 2012 - PlaceShakers

A journalist offers a personal account and striking images from Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, China, home to factories that the produce a wide variety of exported goods.

October 8, 2012 - The Design Observer

In one of the world's most dense cities, urban agriculture finds its place on the rooftops of Hong Kong buildings. Fears of tainted imports is spurring much of the growth.

October 7, 2012 - The New York Times

An experiment in Germany engages kids to build micro-cities as playgrounds. The idea is coming to downtown Philadelphia.

October 6, 2012 - Next American City

Park La Brea, the nation's largest housing complex west of the Mississippi, like much of Los Angeles, has changed dramatically over the decades. Yet, an overwhelming sense of community and identity has endured.

October 5, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

In the triple bottom line of profits, planet, and people, it's people that tend to get the shaft. Scott Doyon lays out seven ways to change that.

October 5, 2012 - PlaceShakers

A new study conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute shows that New York and Los Angeles have much higher rates of pedestrian and biking fatalities than the national average.

October 4, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Launched in August 2011, Wyst is a social media app that allows users to tag locations in New York City with an emoticon. After a year of collecting data, Wyst has compiled enough info to publish its first Mood Map of NYC.

October 3, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

After six consecutive years of decline, traffic deaths are rising dramatically across America, reports Ashley Halsey III.

October 3, 2012 - The Washington Post

As the level of golf participation falls, a new course is rising in a park in the Bronx with the assistance of $97 million in public funds. Is a notoriously expensive, and elitist, sport the best use of land in a borough with a 30% poverty rate?

October 3, 2012 - The New York Times

While we're sure the ever-popular "Best City" lists serve some nebulous purpose, a new metric seeks to identify and evaluate America's metro areas by a more comprehensive understanding of how well they're achieving "complete communities."

October 2, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

As Denver B-Cycle, the country's first large-scale municipal bike-sharing program, seeks to expand with 27 new stations, one city councilman is objecting to the plans with concerns that the system is skirting poor and minority neighborhoods.

October 2, 2012 - The Denver Post

Smoking is physically harmful to smokers and non-smokers alike, but what about its impact on public space? Nate Berg reports on a new paper in Urban Studies based on interviews in Singapore -- where smoking has been regulated since 1970.

October 2, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Some cities are fighting back against the mortgage crisis, using eminent domain to seize and write down troubled mortgages, keeping homeowners in their homes and keeping local economies afloat, writes Peter S. Goodman.

October 2, 2012 - Huffington Post

Wendell Cox delves into the latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau that have prompted some to herald a return to America's downtowns, and argues that reports of such population growth are vastly overblown.

October 2, 2012 - New Geography

Elisabeth Rosenthal reflects on the deterrent to cycling, and the use of bike-sharing systems, posed by mandatory bike helmet laws. Does the rare serious injury prevented by a helmet outweigh discouraging cycling's wider health benefits?

October 1, 2012 - The New York Times

For the second year running, Businessweek has conducted an evaluation of America's 100 largest cities to determine their list of the top 50. Alex Konrad discusses the results.

September 29, 2012 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek