Social / Demographics

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

With the healthiest economy of any major metropolitan area in the country and a winning baseball team, D.C. is doing quite well for itself these days. David Leonhardt looks at what economic lessons the city has to offer the rest of the country.

August 6, 2012 - The New York Times

The Economist looks at the generational gap that is hampering efforts to rebuild tsunami-stricken communities in Japan, as the elderly favor restoring what was lost as soon as possible, and the young seek sustainable revitalization.

August 6, 2012 - The Economist

Emily Badger looks at new data from the Pew Research Center that shows, "As Americans are growing farther apart on the income scale, we are also effectively moving apart from each other within cities, into our own economic enclaves."

August 2, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

In an initiative announced today, New York will become the first city in the U.S. to test social impact bonds, "an experimental mechanism for financing social services that has excited and worried government reformers around the world."

August 2, 2012 - The New York Times

Sixty percent of premature deaths are accounted for not by medical care or lack thereof, but by social circumstances, environmental conditions, and behavioral patterns. So perhaps the medical field on its own can't prevent them.

August 2, 2012 - Shelterforce

Deen Sharp asserts that inattention to smaller and less-central cities in the Arab world has obstructed urban theorists from understanding the roll such places have played in changing the course of history.

August 1, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

David Kilcullen creates maps to empower disenfranchised people in developing countries around the world. By combining social science and technology his firm solves tough problems in "frontier environments," reports David Holmes.

August 1, 2012 - Fast Company

Can a new food ratings system do for public health what LEED has done for green buildings? Claire Moloney discusses the certification program being launched by the USHFC that aims to recognize restaurants who use nutrition best practices.

July 31, 2012 - Green-Buildings.com

Likely of little surprise to anyone who's found themselves among the few pedestrians not gazing down at a cell phone on a busy urban street, 'distracted walking' is fast becoming a major public health hazard across the U.S., reports Deborah Netburn.

July 31, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Scott Doyon discusses the dangers of simplification and the counter-intuitive soundbite, which work against the creation of partnerships that are essential to solving some of our biggest challenges.

July 31, 2012 - PlaceShakers

I'm sure your mother had good reason to tell you not to eat on the run. But times have changed, and one group in London is utilizing the city's public transportation network to help popularize the benefits of healthy eating and urban greening.

July 31, 2012 - The Guardian

Topping a new list of America's coolest cities is Portland? New York? Austin? Nope, it's Houston.

July 30, 2012 - Forbes

Simon Clark and Chris Spillane document the illegal, and often squalid, housing that can be found only three miles from the gleaming Olympic Stadium.

July 27, 2012 - Bloomberg

With suburbia saturated, large retailers chase an urban market poised for growth.

July 26, 2012 - The New York Times

In stark contrast to recent laws targeting immigrants in Arizona and Alabama, Baltimore is joining a host of other (largely rust belt) cities in designing policies and programs to attract immigrants in order to stabilize their populations.

July 26, 2012 - The Washington Post