Social / Demographics

Downtown Cleveland has been polished up over the past few years. David C. Barnett has the rust belt revival success story.

June 12, 2012 - NPR Morning Edition

Aaron M. Renn looks at Chicago's struggles over the last decade - one that saw the city "increasingly falling behind its large urban brethren" - and asks whether its aspirations for becoming a global city are delusional.

June 11, 2012 - City Journal

With the highest obesity rate and poorest population of America’s big cities, Philadelphia is launching an ambitious plan to increase residents' access to healthy food, reports Sarah Kliff.

June 9, 2012 - The Washington Post

Who says playing games can’t make you smart? A recent study by Lumos Labs evaluated users’ game scores across the country to determine which metropolitan areas in the U.S. are the smartest.

June 7, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

In the first part of a series examining the failure of Portland-area fair housing, Brad Schmidt explains how a region that prides itself on its progressive values and openness to diversity is "harboring a form of institutionalized racial inequity."

June 5, 2012 - The Oregonian

Hazel Borys argues that "the payback of livable places really can’t be calculated in dollars, or pounds of fat or carbon, or even hours. The payback of place is passion."

June 5, 2012 - PlaceShakers

According to Carl H. Nightingale, urban centers have been racially divided since Mesopotamia. However global organizations and demographic changes are making the possibility of increased integration a reality.

June 3, 2012 - Salon.com

How far outside of New York City do you have to travel to find the suburban pleasures of miniature golf, batting cages, or an Applebee's? Surprise, they can all be found in the five boroughs. Jesse McKinley seeks to explain this phenomenon.

June 2, 2012 - The New York Times

Richard Florida reports on why America ranks second to last among first world nations for economic mobility; the Northeast remains the most mobile region of the country.

June 1, 2012 - Atlantic Cities

Joel Kato speaks with Richard Louv, author and founding chairman of The Children and Nature Network, about his new book and how 'nature-deficit disorder' is making us fat, sick, and depressed.

June 1, 2012 - Good

Sabrina Tavernise explores "one of the most important developments in the recent economic history of this country" - the growing divide between metro areas with large numbers of college graduates, and those struggling to keep those they have.

May 31, 2012 - The New York Times

A new report released this week seeks to address whether the "urban health advantage" can be extended to more of the world’s population as cities continue to grow in the coming decades, reports Katherine Harmon.

May 31, 2012 - Scientific American

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg opened the latest front in his war on obesity with an announcement yesterday that the city plans to ban the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters and street carts.

May 31, 2012 - The New York Times

The battleground is the Big Sandy coal power plant in eastern Kentucky. The owner, American Electric Power, under pressure from coal proponents, agreed to do a $1 billion retrofit rather than switching to natural gas. Victory was short-lived.

May 31, 2012 - The New York Times - Energy & Environment

Nate Berg reports on a Kenyan High Court decision that allows the government to proceed with "slum upgrading and road construction projects" in one of the largest informal settlements in the world, by tossing out ownership claims made by residents

May 30, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

In a new book out this week, Michelle Obama explores the lessons she's learned while cultivating the First Garden, which has blossomed into a nationwide anti-obesity campaign, writes Marian Burros.

May 30, 2012 - The New York Times

A new study published in the June issue of Landscape and Urban Planning intends to settle once and for all the debate about whether urban trees provide a deterrent or inducement for crime, writes Eric Jaffe.

May 30, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Shell Oil's seven-year, $4 billion investment has paid off. Awaiting final Interior Dept. permits, two drilling ships, moored in Seattle, are poised to travel to the Arctic to begin drilling test wells in 150 ft of water off northern Alaska in July.

May 28, 2012 - The New York Times - Environment

Tim De Chant compares satellite images of neighborhoods from cities around the world to see if inequality is manifest in the patterns of the landscape. The differences are striking.

May 27, 2012 - Per Square Mile

Ever wonder what effect the pollution you're exposed to in your neighborhood on a daily basis is having on your family's long-term health? The emerging field of geo-medecine is providing answers, reports Christine MacDonald.

May 24, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities