Social / Demographics
Fair Housing, But For Whom?
The Fair Housing Act was passed by Congress in 1968, but some minorities still struggle to obtain mortgages and home loans. This article from The Next American City asks why.
Housing The Most Vulnerable
Homeless advocates are working in Los Angeles to identify the city's most vulnerable homeless people on Skid Row. With this list the county intends to take a piecemeal approach to housing the city's homeless.
More Fast Food Options Make Residents Fatter
The higher the concentration of fast food restaurants in a city, the fatter its residents, according to a recent study from the University of Alberta.
City Noise Posing Health Threat
Ho Chi Minh City is one of the loudest cities in the world. It's excessive noise is being targeted by the World Health Organization as a serious threat to physical and mental health.
Experts Weigh In On Urbanization
The Freakonomics blog at The New York Times recently put together a panel of experts and asked them to outline the implications of our increasingly urban world.
Land of the Living, Dead
Vice Magazine presents this photo essay on a cemetery in Manila that is heavily populated with both the living and the dead. More than 10,000 families make this graveyard their home.
Workplace Childcare Edges Into Canada
Integrating childcare facilities with the workplace is experiencing a slow but steady start in Canada, where some activists are trying to convince employers of the real economic benefits of bringing the kids to work.
Energizing Canada's Urban 'Magnets'
A new report ranking Canada's cities in terms of their ability to attract skilled workers finds that looming demographic challenges and infrastructure deficits will require urgent attention from higher levels of government.
Social Steps Toward Environmental Sustainability
Toronto's poet laureate argues that environmental sustainability cannot be achieved until people become better neighbors and create better communities.
The Marseille Model
As racial tensions erupt across France, the diverse city of Marseille has remained calm. Many look to it as a model for the future of an increasingly ethnically-mixed France and Europe.
The New Suburban Ghetto
High foreclosure rates are turning Charlotte's new starter home suburbs into bastions of crime and decay.
Bangalore Techies Advocate For Bicycling Amenities
As the city traffic grinds to a crawl due to the rising amount of vehicles on the road, techies in Bangalore have taken a liking to commuting on bicycles.
Is This Liquor Store An Amenity Or A Nuisance?
In a gentrifying neighborhood in Washington D.C., residents are campaigning against a local liquor store they say encourages littering and public drunkenness. But longtime neighborhood residents defend the store, calling it a neighborhood staple.
'Complete Streets' Movement Gaining Momentum
The new slogan for bicyclists and pedestrians across America is gaining attention, as well as weight, from a number of municipalities.
College's Makeover Of Downtown Leaves Residents Sour
A $40 million gift from a wealthy alumna helped Wells College transform the small town of Aurora, New York into a postcard perfect setting. But while enrollment is up, residents say the change hasn't been good for them.
Gay Bars Disappear, Public Space Suffers
The disappearance of gay bars in the Boston area signals a change in the city's character and the vibrancy of it's public space. In this piece, Robert David Sullivan argues the change is bad for everyone in the city, gay and straight.
Heat Islands or Hot Air?
Sprawlmeisters take warning, advises Rob Steuteville's red-sky-at-night commentary from New Urban News. Your days of high pressure spin are numbered.
Mobility More Of A Concern As Boomers Age
Access to transportation for the elderly is of increasing concern as baby boomers approach retirement. Though the problem is major, many communities already have some programs in place to improve mobility for seniors.
Checks Are Sought, But Florida Continues Growth
Efforts to improve oversight to keep the state's growth in check in Florida are being lauded, but development continues across the state and shows little sign of a slowdown.
Starchitects Designing More Than Just Buildings
With the pipeline of glitzy real estate projects slowing, star designers are branching out with new fashion items and other luxury goods.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
