Social / Demographics

In an indication that the "creative class" era may have finally jumped the shark, the city of Miami is reveling in the arrival of Richard Florida himself as a sign of the area's arrival as a "Creative City."

August 20, 2012 - The Miami Herald

OPB investigates the flood of new apartment buildings going up in downtown Portland and finds that two-thirds lack any motor vehicle parking - which is great for renters without cars seeking affordable housing, but can anger the neighbors.

August 19, 2012 - Oregon Public Broadcasting

Stewart M. Patrick looks at the convergence of trends in natural disasters and urbanization in the developing world and sees a dire threat to the world's urban populations growing.

August 17, 2012 - The Internationalist

Emily Badger explains how a Minneapolis-based non-profit organization is working to break the cycle of gentrification within artist communities by helping to create and preserve affordable space for artists and arts organizations.

August 17, 2012 - Fast Company

The love affair between Americans and their cars is a well known trope. But according to a new paper from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on worldwide car usage, America's car ownership rate is among the lowest in the developed world.

August 16, 2012 - The Atlantic

Steve Lohr reports on the new I.B.M. research lab in Kenya, which will work to tailor technological solutions to the prominent issues in Africa's major cities.

August 16, 2012 - The New York Times

Next time you suggest your child goes outside to play, you might want to make sure they're not packing chalk. Josh Harkinson looks at the nationwide crackdown on chalk art. It's not just adults being cited.

August 16, 2012 - Mother Jones

A new report out from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds conflicting trends in Americans' walking habits. What's clear, however, is that an astonishing 38% of adults have not walked more than 10 minutes straight in the last week.

August 15, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Caroline Davies reports on the development of a women-only industrial city in Saudi Arabia, that the government hopes will give women a more prominent role in their country's development while maintaining their second-class status.

August 15, 2012 - The Guardian

Newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention depicts America with an enduring obesity problem. In twelve states more than 30% of the population is obese. No state has less than a 20% obesity rate.

August 15, 2012 - The Washington Post

We get it, China's cities are big and getting bigger. But what's it like to live there? Isaac Stone Fish takes a closer look at the quality of life in Chinese cities, and finds them almost uniformly monolithic and unlivable.

August 15, 2012 - Foreign Policy

Renee DiResta uses Google's autocomplete feature to understand how Americans "really think about 'those people' in other states." Play with her wonderfully enlightening interactive map to view the top terms associated with each state.

August 14, 2012 - no upside

Amanda Erickson explains how communities could wield the power of eminent domain to rescue residents with "underwater" mortgages, by condemning homes and allowing owners to refinance their mortgages and pay a new, lower rate.

August 14, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

By opening nine new homeless shelters in just the last two months, the Bloomberg administration has responded quickly to an 18% increase in the number of people entering NYC's shelter system in the past year, much to the dismay of local officials.

August 13, 2012 - The New York Times

Joel Kotkin looks at a new analysis of Census data by Wendell Cox that may upend the "conventional wisdom" that "talented, highly-skilled and highly educated people" are clustering in America's coastal cities.

August 10, 2012 - New Geography

While California's cities continue to be a drag on the country's job growth, cities in the Northeast and the South are doing better than average, says a new report from the Urban Institute.

August 9, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Recent articles on uncomfortably loud environments in New York and Los Angeles raise an interesting question - is noise pollution a necessary part of city living or is it a health hazard that should be addressed?

August 8, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Is the return of the factory town the solution to jump-start new housing construction? Myron Curzan and Janet Lowenthal propose a plan for developing housing that caters specifically to workers stuck in between affordable and median housing.

August 8, 2012 - Urban Land

Peter Hermann describes the police force's efforts in D.C.'s up-and-coming areas to put a stop to crime and congestion before it even occurs.

August 7, 2012 - The Washington Post

Nashville? New York? Austin? L.A.? Fans love debating which city has America's best music scene. Richard Florida brings an analytical eye to the question by investigating America's leading centers for musicians and the music industry.

August 6, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities