Social / Demographics

Is Grand Canyon Skywalk a Road to Prosperity?

This segment from NPR looks at what's happened since a Native American tribe in Arizona opened a glass-floored walkway extending over the Grand Canyon.

April 25, 2008 - NPR

The Island of Garbage

This 12-part video series from Vice gives a gritty look at the Texas-sized patch of plastic flotsam that has formed in the Pacific Ocean -- and the global environmental and health hazards it presents.

April 25, 2008 - VBS

Growth Slows Down in D.C. Suburbs

Census data shows that growth rates in the formerly high-growth counties surrounding Washington D.C. are beginning to drop off, and in some cases, are going in to the negative.

April 24, 2008 - The Washington Post

Party on the Streetcar

Party organizers in Prague have set up a monthly party that takes place on one of the city's streetcars as it drives through town.

April 24, 2008 - The New York Times

Absentee Homeowners Driving Up Rents In Jerusalem

One out of five homes in central Jerusalem is owned by someone living abroad, and sit empty for most of the year. With housing prices soaring, a group of students wants to try and make use of the underused apartments.

April 23, 2008 - Marketplace

New York City's Unwelcomed Foresters

New York's newest force of foresters, hired to plant one million trees in all five boroughs by 2017, are receiving more opposition then one might expect.

April 22, 2008 - The New York Times

Gray Gold: Housing The Baby Boomers

A recent working paper considers the implications of housing the nation's aging population.

April 21, 2008 - Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

Redevelopment On Horizon For India's 'Recycling' Slum

Plans to redevelop Asia's largest slum will displace over 1 million people, many of whom earn their livelihood recycling Mumbai's trash.

April 21, 2008 - BBC News

The Coming Shift In Commuting Patterns?

With boomers set to retire, and more small and home-based business cropping up, its likely more and more people will be skipping the morning and afternoon rush hours. But how will such a change impact our traffic patterns?

April 20, 2008 - Forbes

Feeling Down On Main Street

In the wake of Presidential Candidate Barack Obama's recent gaffe, New York Times blogger Timothy Egan sheds some light on the reality of rural America and its role in America's future.

April 19, 2008 - The New York Times

The New Graffiti

Using laser technology, two artists have created a new type of "temporary graffiti" -- light shows that use public places as canvasses for their laser art.

April 18, 2008 - Time

Five Unlikely Gay-Friendly Cities

New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles are usually regarded as hotbeds for homosexuals. But five unlikely cities -- in places such as Texas, Oklahoma and Alaska -- show that more gay-friendly cities are coming out of the woodwork.

April 17, 2008 - Utne Reader

Grassroots Environmental Movement Sprouts in China

Environmental activism is on the rise in China. It's not a fast rise, but its existence is seen by many as a major step.

April 16, 2008 - BBC

Noise and the City

Cairo, Egypt is becoming increasingly noisy.

April 15, 2008 - The New York Times

Five Communities That Have Avoided The Subprime Meltdown

While most of the country is feeling the pain of the subprime mortgage crisis, these communities have managed to fly under the radar.

April 14, 2008 - MainStreet.com

The United States of Gordon Gekkos?

The current housing crisis in America is a product of greed -- not just the greed of homebuilders and mortgage lenders, but also the greed of consumers. Could planners have done more to prevent this greed from crashing the market?

April 14, 2008 - Sriram Khé, PhD

Black-Tie Optional: 'Stepsister' Cities Flourish in the Shadows

Say you're a big city. But right next door is an even bigger big city. What do you do to stand out? Josh Stephens explores the unique plight of America's so-called stepsister cities.

April 14, 2008 - Josh Stephens

Toronto Mulls Corporate Sponsorship for Parks

Short on funding, Toronto's waterfront parks agency is considering a plan to sell the naming rights to the park's amenities, allowing corporate sponsors to add their name to such public features as walkways and play areas.

April 12, 2008 - The Canadian Press

Crime Cameras Move Crime, Not Deter It

In San Francisco, "crime cameras" intended to ward of crime and record any illegal activity that occurs have been shown by a recent report to do little to prevent crimes from taking place.

April 9, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

40 Years Later, A Neighborhood's Comeback

The U street corridor in Washington D.C. was a flash point during the 1968 riots. Four decades later, the neighborhood is finally recovering from the aftermath.

April 8, 2008 - National Public Radio

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.