Social / Demographics

Rachel James speaks with historian Jennifer Gray about the impact that Disney's "particular brand of nostalgic, comforting architecture and urbanism" has had on the way people experience the city and professionals plan for it.

October 17, 2012 - SmartPlanet

A joint project by technology company Esri and the city of San Francisco shows the promising confluence of open data and innovative visualization techniques.

October 16, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Richard Florida discusses why "quality of place", rather than job opportunity, is the determining factor in where creative-minded people choose to live.

October 16, 2012 - Urban Land Magazine

If you were confused by recent census data that named four California metros, including Delano (pop 53,819), as the most dense in America, a new report that looks at "population-weighted density" may deliver more satisfying results.

October 15, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

In this month's edition of its Planning Advisory Service (PAS) spotlight, the APA looks at the ways in which different communities are addressing homelessness in their comprehensive plans, and through other types of documents.

October 15, 2012 - APA

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