Social / Demographics

Improving Communications About Transit

This post from The City Fix looks at various efforts to increase communication between transit riders and transit providers in Chicago.

November 18, 2010 - The City Fix

Rethinking Detroit

Detroit reporter John Gallagher's new book "Reimagining Detroit" considers what it will take to remake The Motor City into a model that will work for the future.

November 17, 2010 - Model D

Debunking Misconceptions About Metro Area Domestic Migration

On his blog, Aaron Renn has done an analysis of 2008 tax return data from metropolitan areas to show where domestic migration is happening. Some of his findings are a bit surprising.

November 17, 2010 - The Urbanophile

Three Types of Cyclists

A study of cyclists in Ashland, Oregon has found three distinct types of bike riders, the majority of which are interesting in riding, but concerned about safety issues.

November 15, 2010 - Ashland Daily Tidings

The Cultural Reshaping of Los Angeles

In this reflection on the new book "Los Angeles in Maps", James Rojas wonders what shape the city will take in the near and far future.

November 13, 2010 - KCET

Invasion of the Chain Stores

As chain stores move into a Brooklyn neighborhood, some locals worry about the loss of local character and small businesses.

November 13, 2010 - The New York Times

Urban Migration Complicates China's Census

Last week, China deployed six million workers for a 10-day effort to count the country's population. A surge in citizens relocating from rural to urban areas makes the task difficult, reports the Economist.

November 12, 2010 - The Economist

Transit Transformation in New Orleans

Jonna McKone asks, "How can transportation and urban development—from housing to public spaces to landscaping—repair a blighted American city?"

November 11, 2010 - TheCityFix

Parks, Walkability and the Role They Play in Obesity

St. Louis' Forest Park is a model of good planning, but inner-city parks are in much worse shape and having an effect on the health of those communities, says a new study.

November 10, 2010 - The St. Louis Beacon

Lassoing a Plan for El Paso

Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX will be getting 30,000 more troops under the Base Realignment and Closure program, which means a major effort to plan for the added people.

November 9, 2010 - New Urban Network

What Makes A City Great? An American Perspective

H.V. Savitch attempts to break down the attributes that make a city great, and concludes that a city need not score high in all the categories in order to achieve greatness.

November 8, 2010 - H.V. Savitch

Geo-Location Still Not Hot

Location-based social networking is all the rage among marketers, investors and tech gurus. Just not among people, who are not flocking to use the geo-locating services.

November 7, 2010 - The New York Times

Slum Redevelopment Drives Real Estate Market In Mumbai

With not much undeveloped land left in Mumbai for fresh developments, the city’s real estate growth will largely be propelled by the success of its many slum redevelopment schemes, according to a recent study.

November 6, 2010 - LiveMint.com

Shanghai Expo Closes With Focus On "Development through Development"

The Expo’s stated theme was “Better City, Better Life,” and organizers boasted it was the first World’s Fair devoted to the contemplation of cities.

November 6, 2010 - Fast Company

Generation Y Increasingly Uninterested In Car Ownership

New analysis from the CNW group shows that the percentage of new cars sold to 21-34 year-olds hit a high of nearly 38 percent in 1985 but decreased to 27 percent today. The shift is changing life in our cities and manufacturers marketing strategies.

November 6, 2010 - MSNBC News

U.S. Hispanic Population Growth Transforms Urban Planning

Jonna McKone looks at how Hispanics are transforming urban spaces and how city planning and transportation policies respond.

November 4, 2010 - TheCityFix

Truly Underground Art

103 artists form around the world have unveiled a massive collection of murals in New York City. But they're underground in abandoned subways stations, and you can't go see them.

November 4, 2010 - The New York Times

Economic Powerhouse to Emerge in the Arctic

As result of climate change, dwindling resources and shifting demographics, a new economic powerhouse is likely to emerge in the arctic by mid-century, according to the new book "The World in 2050".

November 3, 2010 - Seed

Reusing Golf Courses and Abandoned Land in Venezuela

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is urging for golf courses to be expropriated for other uses, and calling on citizens to make use of abandoned land.

November 3, 2010 - Bloomberg

Gentrification Through Transit Stations

New transit stations can have major gentrifying impacts on neighborhoods -- from median income to car ownership rates, according to a recent study.

November 3, 2010 - Next American City

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.