Social / Demographics

A study conducted in Illinois has found no correlation between rates of obesity to suburban sprawl, as was previously believed.

February 10, 2011 - US News

As demographics shift and housing preferences of younger buyers lean away from single-family housing, much of the single-family-home-zoned areas in Charlotte will need to be rethought, according to this editorial.

February 10, 2011 - The Charlotte Observer

A transit program in California is intended to be a lifeline for the homeless population, allowing for easier access to medical services and employment opportunities.

February 8, 2011 - GOOD Magazine

Interested communities are invited to apply until February 23, 2011. The purpose of the program is to help interested communities adopt sustainable planning methods.

February 8, 2011 - Sustainable Cities Collective

"Open Buildings" App lets you discover the built environment with the touch of a screen.

February 8, 2011 - thisbigcity.net

The City Council of Temecula, CA decided that a proposed mosque met all zoning requirements and voted to approve its construction, despite opposition that supporters claim was fueled by religious reasons and not concerns over traffic and parking.

February 8, 2011 - The Huffington Post

Neither technology nor infrastructure shows any limit for how big or how fast cities can grow and more megacities are on the horizon, according to this piece from Richard Dobbs and Jaana Remes.

February 6, 2011 - What Matters

The Vauban District in southern Germany is a small community built around a green transportation scheme, but it has become much more: a model of cooperative decision-making, sustainability and eco-planning.

February 5, 2011 - The Cereplast Blog

Over the past ten years, the city of New Orleans has lost nearly a third of its population, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

February 4, 2011 - USA Today

Beneath Paris is an underground network of tunnels and quarries, long closed to the public. National Geographic takes a tour of this forbidden part of the city, where urban explorers keep tradition alive.

February 3, 2011 - National Geographic

While some cities have focused planning efforts on making their public spaces more accessible for the elderly, some argue that the age group they should be focusing on is kids.

February 2, 2011 - Good

Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne begins a year-long series reading and reviewing 25 books all about L.A.

February 2, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Struggling Rust Belt cities could be the smart move for retirees, according to this article.

February 2, 2011 - Reuters

With recent uprisings in Cairo and Tunis, we are reminded that the city has been the center of revolutionary action for hundreds of years, according to this piece from Edward L. Glaeser.

February 2, 2011 - The New York Times

The amount of people commuting in car pools has nearly halved since 1980.

January 31, 2011 - The New York Times

The mayor of the small town of Lancaster, California, has proposed broadcasting recordings of bird noises along one of the city's main streets to "make people happier".

January 31, 2011 - CBS

The term "smart growth" may be approaching the end of its shelf life, according to some. Its replacement: "intelligent cities".

January 30, 2011 - USA Today

New Urbanist Stefanos Polyzoides is profiled by the Los Angeles Times, which mentions a few projects the architect and planners is working on in East L.A. and Fresno.

January 27, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Hundreds of townships in Indiana serve fewer than 1,000 people each, prompting some government officials to call for consolidation to reduce wasted resources.

January 26, 2011 - The Indianapolis Star

The rural Midwest produces much of our nation's food supply, and yet small towns in the heartland and around America are increasingly and ironically becoming food deserts - places where citizens have little access to fresh, healthy foods.

January 25, 2011 - Grist