Social / Demographics

Growing populations and diminishing land will make feeding people a challenge in the near future. This piece from Popular Science looks at eight strategies to keep the world fed.

August 17, 2009 - Popular Science

A recent episode of the Australian radio program Future Tense examines how humans interact with the city and how it will likely change in the future.

August 17, 2009 - Future Tense

Public drinking fountains are a useful if underappreciated urban amenity. The New York Times asked eight illustrators around the U.S. to watch one fountain in their cities and report back.

August 17, 2009 - The New York Times

August 17, 2009 - Nate Berg

MIT researcher Jeffrey Warren has just released the latest version of Cartagen, a software platform for interactive mapping. Julia Galef takes a look.

August 15, 2009 - Metropolis Magazine

Changing technologies and erratic political schedules are altering the way the public interacts with elected officials. For some politicians, the new form of public participation can get them into trouble.

August 14, 2009 - The New York Times

Westchester County, NY will be required to invest in the provision of affordable housing units in communities that lack minorities. Furthermore, they will have to actively market these units towards minority populations.

August 12, 2009 - The New York Times

The population of Florida has decreased by about 50,000 people between April 2008 and April 2009, according to demographers at the University of Florida.

August 12, 2009 - St. Petersburg Times

A new report shows that as the population of the U.S. ages, it is likely that more people will rent than own homes, causing a steep decline in the home building industry.

August 11, 2009 - Calculated Risk

Planetizen is creating a list of the most important people who have shaped urban places, and we want to know what you think. Vote on people nominated by the Planetizen community, or suggest your own. The polls close September 7.

August 6, 2009 - Planetizen

Typically at the top of "best cities" lists, Vancouver and Portland are highly coveted places. This piece looks at why Portland is really number one.

August 4, 2009 - The Tyee

Disasters happen. Being prepared is almost always the ideal, but rarely the reality. A disaster training facility in Texas is trying to change that.

August 3, 2009 - Popular Science

With a 32-story tower occupied only part-time by a single family, America's real estate bust may be most apparent in Fort Meyers.

August 3, 2009 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Entrepreneurs are flocking to New Orleans, a boom that some expect to help bring employment levels 98.8% of the way back to pre-Hurricane Katrina levels by 2016.

August 2, 2009 - The New York Times

This episode of Smart City examines some new thinking in the realm of city tourism, focusing providing visitors more authentic experiences.

August 2, 2009 - Smart City

Outside Magazine ranks the top 10 U.S. cities for people who like to exercise and be outdoors.

August 1, 2009 - Outside

The population of illegal immigrants in Arizona has dropped by a third, the biggest drop in the nation.

July 31, 2009 - The Arizona Republic

Focusing on aspects like earning potential and lifestyle cost, a consulting group has determined the 20 best Canadian cities for young people.

July 30, 2009 - The Vancouver Sun

The City of New York has been spending thousands of dollars to send people out of the city -- opting to pay for one-way plane tickets instead of providing social services.

July 30, 2009 - The New York Times

This piece from Worldchanging takes an in-depth look at the competition to redesign metropolitan Paris for the year 2030.

July 29, 2009 - WorldChanging