Social / Demographics

The Economist wonders if Santa Barbara's relative financial health is owed to its aging population and resistance to development.

March 3, 2009 - Economist

Studies showing rising concentrations of poorer immigrant groups in Canada's largest cities is causing concern that the country is becoming polarized. But, writes Doug Saunders, such enclaves may be the first step towards integration.

March 2, 2009 - The Globe and Mail

A boomtown in the desert that was expected to grow in population to more than 350,000 by 2020 is going bust, and putting things in perspective as the economy dives and foreclosures spread.

February 28, 2009 - The Wall Street Journal

This piece ponders whether slum tourism in places like Dharavi and the favelas of Brazil is a valid form of cultural exchange or merely voyeuristic exploitation?

February 28, 2009 - National Geographic Traveler

Mayor Bloomberg and Janette Sadik-Khan have unveiled plans to turn a large segment of midtown into a pedestrian-only thoroughfare. The bold move is being applauded by livable street advocates across the United States.

February 27, 2009 - Streetsblog

Some organizations believe they hold the key to fighting poverty--economic development in the inner cities, which will in turn bring in private investment. But others maintain that both are hard to come by simultaneously.

February 26, 2009 - Miller-McCune

Although denser is inherently greener, cities whose populations boom have their own set of challenges regarding sustainability. According to this article, achieving a balance between urban and rural growth is the most sustainable way to go.

February 26, 2009 - Crosscut

Kent Kammerer asserts that by jumping too quickly on a TOD bandwagon that stresses density, local municipalities may leave out elements of social infrastructure and adequate services--the real driving forces behind successful, walkable areas.

February 26, 2009 - Cross

Two-thirds of people who leave prison go back within three years, and many who leave prison go back to particular urban neighborhoods. New Orleans want to spend more smartly in areas whose community life is disrupted by such a cycle.

February 25, 2009 - The Atlantic

As climate change takes the form of higher sea levels and environmental disasters, millions of "ecomigrants" across the world have been on the move to find more environmentally habitable places.

February 24, 2009 - The Washington Post

Population growth estimates foresee the equivalent of an additional 15 Seattles concentrating in the Pacific Northwest over the next one hundred years. How the region handles this growth is up for debate, but with a distinct sense of urgency.

February 24, 2009 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

A look inside the real slum featured in the movie "Slumdog Millionaire". The film won 8 Oscars including Best Picture.

February 23, 2009 - The New York Times

A new study of Los Angeles Business Improvement Districts shows that private security provided by BIDs has reduced crime in these areas more than in the rest of the city.

February 23, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Forbes releases its first ever list of "America's Fastest-Changing Cities", documenting the cities that have undergone the most drastic economic shifts.

February 22, 2009 - Forbes

America's suburbs are no longer impervious to "slumming," as low income earners are forced into places that were once firmly middle class. Therefore, researchers say, anti-poverty measures should go beyond mere suburb relocation.

February 19, 2009 - Miller-McCune

Drops in tourism and luxury car sales are among the reasons why the ritziest cities in Southern California are not impervious to the recession.

February 19, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

NYT columnist David Brooks compares the dreams for a more compact, less car-dependent lifestyle of many urban planners with the findings of a Pew Research poll on the types of communities Americans want to live in, and they are not like Amsterdam.

February 17, 2009 - The New York Times

More than $1 billion has been invested in a Vancouver slum area, but little improvement can be seen, according to this investigation from The Globe and Mail.

February 17, 2009 - The Globe and Mail

President Barack Obama is seeking greater control over the 2010 Census. This opinion piece from The Wall Street Journal looks at what it could mean for the upcoming count.

February 15, 2009 - The Wall Street Journal

The border between the U.S. and Mexico is being built into 700 miles of wall in Texas. Architect Lance Hosey looks at the environmental, ecological and sociological problems it creates.

February 15, 2009 - Architect Magazine