Social / Demographics
Canada's High-Tech Hub
Ottawa's high-tech sector has burgeoned. More of its residents are employed in fields of engineering and science than in any other Canadian city, making it a high-tech hotbed not unlike those of the U.S.
Mr. City Rankings Answers Your Questions
Bert Sperling, who has earned recognition for his lists of "Best Places," responds to questions posed by the readers of the Freakonomics blog.
How Cities Can Compete - An Illustrated Guide
An artist recently drew an interpretation of a speech by author Richard Florida about the "creative class", competition between cities and the importance of place.
Urban Explorers Venture into the Abandoned and Unknown
A growing group of people in Britain have taken to breaking into abandoned buildings and facilities. But they're not breaking in to steal things, or to squat. They just want to check the places out, which they call "urban exploring".
Preserving Historic Centers and Local Populations
The historic centers and plazas of Latin American cities are often viewed as prime prospects for preservation in the hopes of increasing tourism. Often this preservation has a negative affect on locals, but things are beginning to change.
The President and Population Growth
Neal Pierce of Citiwire.net returns to the population issue, this time addressing U.S. federal foreign and domestic policies regarding the issue.
Reconsidering the Trailer Park
A new study finds that manufactured housing (also known as mobile homes), despite their reputation, offer important advantages for low-income households.
Why Affordability Matters
In this article, Erick Villagomez argues that affordable housing, by enabling urban diversity, is the key to a city's economic and social sustainability.
Educating the Newly Homeless Youth
As their numbers increase, students from homeless families face a slew of new challenges to their education. Some families, this article reports, don’t even know that they still have a right to an education after losing their home.
East L.A. Bids for Incorporation
For the fourth time, the unincorporated area of East Los Angeles is making efforts to become a city. This article examines its colorful history and what East L.A. hopes to accomplish in gaining cityhood.
No Washing in Washington
Washington State is telling local governments that they need to ban carwashing in driveways, where runoff goes into storm drains and pollutes groundwater.
Twin Cities Spreading
The Minneapolis-St. Paul region is spreading further south, according to a recent study, which shows that projected growth will require more than 50,000 new homes and millions of square feet of retail and office space.
Cities Embracing Music Festivals
The Austin City Limits music festival, held at the city's major public park, has inspired other cities to invite festivals to their parks, despite the inherent challenges.
On 'Black Urbanism'
Architects and researchers are looking into the influences of African and African-American culture on urbanism.
After Andrew, Homestead Bounces Back
Once nearly obliterated by Hurricane Andrew, Homestead, FL, is now a thriving city with a bigger and more diverse population than ever. This article takes a look at how it got there and how it plans to further reinvent itself.
Trying to Keep Youth in Changing Alaskan Fishing Towns
For coastal fishing communities in Alaska, tighter rules on fishing mean that there are fewer jobs. This is especially evident for younger populations, who find few reasons to stay in town. Researchers are looking at ways to increase retention.
Suburbs The New Ground Zero For Homelessness
Homelessness is on the rise in metropolitan Vancouver, but the numbers are most significant in the suburbs.
As Immigration Slows, White Population Rises in NYC
A recent census shows a "reverse white flight" trend in New York City: not only has the Hispanic population steadied, but the population of whites has steadily increased for the first time in nearly half a century.
Stress City, U.S.A.
By looking at city data and quality-of-life measures, Forbes has created a list of the most stressful cities in the U.S. Chicago, Detroit and New York rank the highest.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
