Social / Demographics

Name That Neighborhood

Projects across the country seek to definitively identify the names of city neighborhoods -- a process that's both difficult and important to local pride, according to those behind these efforts.

January 3, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

How the US Changed in 2011

A team of Brookings Institution researchers present five key findings about Americans and how the country grew in 2011 according to 2010 Census data.

January 3, 2012 - Brookings Institution

'Unfathomable' Budget Cuts Deepen the Housing Crisis

The continuing recession and housing crisis are being further decimated by federal cuts to housing aid, according to The Nation.

January 1, 2012 - The Nation

Six Trending Urbanist Themes for the New Year

Chuck Wolfe analyzes his 2011 articles which appeared on Planetizen and in other sources, and derives his urbanist trends to watch for in 2012.

December 31, 2011 - myurbanist

The Extreme Future of Megacities

Megacities are the future of our planet. Author James Canton offers several visions and strategies to begin planning for them.

December 31, 2011 - Significance

Private and Public Converge in Toronto's 'Information Pillars'

New street furniture is being installed in Toronto, but locals are already sick of it. They're called "information pillars" and are supposed to offer helpful directions and info to pedestrians, but critics complain that they're mostly advertisements.

December 30, 2011 - The Globe and Mail

Multigenerational Housing Rises in Nevada

Major homebuilders in Las Vegas are offering new housing layouts that include extra rooms and separate small side houses for extended families, meeting a rising demand seen in shifting demographics.

December 29, 2011 - Las Vegas Sun

Jane Jacobs Kicked Off Intertwined Revolutions Of Early 1960s

1961 marked an extraordinary year for urbanism, with the publication of Death and life of Great American Cities, and also foreshadowed two other intellectual and social revolutions led by women: environmentalism and feminism.

December 27, 2011 - California Planning & Development Report

A Profile of the Most Conservative Zip Code in Texas

Highland Park, ZIP code 75205, represents the top of the 1% in Texas, and is the most enthusiastically Republican community in the country.

December 26, 2011 - Mother Jones

Revive Farming, Revive Haiti

After the earthquake, Haiti's recovery has not been in rebuilding the center city, but through decentralization and the development of farming. But even this plan, reports Randal Archibald, is fraught with challenges.

December 26, 2011 - The New York Times

D.C. is Tops in High-Earners and Highly Educated

Is it the presence of the federal government? Is it the smart people? And which came first? Derek Thompson dissects D.C., the nation's fastest growing, richest, and best-educated city.

December 26, 2011 - The Atlantic

Northern Manhattan Sees White Collar Boom

Traditionally immigrant neighborhoods in the northernmost reaches of Manhattan, Washington Heights and Inwood are seeing new, white collar companies set up shop in the low-rent neighborhoods.

December 26, 2011 - City Limits

For Urbanizing Beijing, "Putting Farmers in Flats" Not Enough

Tom Miller, author of "Urban Billion," discusses the pitfalls and shortcomings of a too-quickly urbanizing Beijing in this interview with David Pierson.

December 24, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

US Population Growth Rate Stagnates With Economy

The recession is taking its toll on the nation's population growth rate. A lagging birth rate and a precipitous drop in immigration, particularly those entering the country illegally, resulted in a 0.7% growth rate. Immigration is at a 20-year low.

December 23, 2011 - The New York Times

Cities Unprepared to Help Those in Need

A new report says that U.S. cities are lacking in preparation (and in funds) for providing food and shelter for those in need.

December 19, 2011 - Governing Magazine

Congress Mulling Extending Transit Pretax Benefits

The benefits, which allow for up to $230 a month of pretax income to be set aside for transit commuting, may dip to just $125 a month if Congress does not decide on an extension by the end of the month.

December 16, 2011 - The Washington Post

Federal HOME Program Suffers From Lack of Oversight

West Palm Beach is demanding millions of dollars of one organization to correct greedy actions under HUD's HOME program. Kimberly Miller reports on how this is just the latest incident in an "easy to game" federal program.

December 16, 2011 - The Palm Beach Post

How Planning is Like Growing Tomatoes

An organic system is rarely the sum of its parts. Nothing demonstrates this as clearly as sinking your teeth into a store-bought tomato, writes Ben Brown.

December 15, 2011 - PlaceShakers

European Cyclist's Federation (ECF) Study on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emmissions

In the fight against climate change, it is still unclear how, according to SustainableCitiesCollective, "the world’s nations will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve limited temperature rise." A recent ECF study sheds light on the topic.

December 14, 2011 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Placemaking With Zip Lines

Chuck Wolfe admires the creative thinking which has reinvented the dramatic setting between two Italian hill towns.

December 14, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.