Social / Demographics

Nearly half of Americans want to move to a different part of the country, according to a new survey. Denver and San Diego rated as the most desirable cities to relocate to.

February 1, 2009 - USA Today

An organization in Chicago's Little Village gives tours to educate its Mexican-American residents on how they can improve their notoriously polluted community. Grassroots efforts like this are being lauded by environmental justice groups.

January 30, 2009 - Chicago Tribune

Global warming has slipped precipitously in the public's mind as a top concern, as the nation's recession took the number one slot in a Pew Research Center telephone poll. In fact, it ranked last in a list of 20 issues, yet 'energy' was #6.

January 29, 2009 - The New York Times

A little-known USDA program offers Rural Development Guaranteed Loans, which would allow low-income residents to buy homes in "rural" areas--places with fewer than 25,000 people. Under this guideline, many suburbs in Phoenix qualify.

January 29, 2009 - NPR

The Internet is a trove of great ideas about improving cities. Filling blogs and personal websites, the vast majority of ideas out there are little more than that: ideas. New York City's Streetsblog -- now a growing nationwide force -- is transforming the conversation into action.

January 29, 2009 - Mike Lydon

When a Somali population moved into a dying city in Maine, the benefits of the "new injection of energy" they brought with them has been clear ever since--particularly eonomic growth.

January 28, 2009 - Newsweek

The line between suburb and city blurs as suburbs struggle with the problems of the cities' past. But there's hope, say this article's authors, who make a case for regionalism and government's active role in reinventing such struggling places.

January 22, 2009 - Newsweek

It's one of those good news-bad news revelations: the housing and job crises are causing more people to stay put. NY's out-migration was the lowest since the Census tracked outflows in 1982. More residents left Florida than arrived, a first.

January 21, 2009 - The New York Times

Growth rates in Waco, Texas, have planners concerned that the region won't be able to afford the necessary roads and services the new sprawl will require.

January 21, 2009 - Waco Tribune-Herald

The income gap between rural and urban residents in China has increased again in 2008, and has been attributed to other social inequities in the growing country.

January 21, 2009 - BBC

Miami and Miami-Dade County are working together to implement a robust network of bicycle infrastructure that in tandem with ongoing events like Bike Miami Days and County led Ciclovia events,will help residents and visitors get out of their cars.

January 20, 2009 - Miami Herald

Recently approved plans to build a third runway at Heathrow International Airport mean the village of Sipson will be completely paved over. As a result, villagers have become activists, and they discuss their efforts in this video.

January 19, 2009 - Guardian

Security considerations are already making a huge impact in Washington D.C. as the Capitol readies for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

January 17, 2009 - The New York Times

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has released their annual dozen 'distinctive destinations', vacation spots that rank high in authenticity, beauty, and of course, preservation. Franklin, Tennessee is one of the lesser-known locales.

January 15, 2009 - preservationnation.org

This editorial looks at the hostile environment of bicycling on much of Long Island, and ties it to the precarious life of many immigrant laborers, who already suffer from apparent hate crimes. Sadly, riding a bike only increases their vulnerability

January 14, 2009 - The New York Times

Officials in Baghdad are instituting a new program to sweep beggars off the city's streets -- a number that has risen sharply since the U.S. invasion in 2003.

January 13, 2009 - Agence France Presse

Some trends are indicating that when the 2010 Census goes through Phoenix it's going to show a shrinking population -- a first for the booming desert city.

January 12, 2009 - The Arizona Republic

A new GIS-based service promises to improve on real estate agents by using GIS data to locate promising sites to locate for business.

January 9, 2009 - BusinessWeek

Thirty-story buildings used for crop-growing is a good idea on paper, but the challenges still outweigh the benefits.

January 8, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

Eleven Amish families have sued their own town for religious discrimination in its building code.

January 7, 2009 - Chicago Tribune