Social / Demographics
The Hidden Crisis of Suburban Poverty
Working-class families priced out of urban areas and a squeezed middle class facing shrinking wages and unaffordable housing, are among those living in poverty in the suburbs.
New York City Looks To Crack Down On Slum Lords
In an effort to bring 1,000 buildings up to code and to perhaps preserve the modicum of affordable housing left in the city, Mayor Bloomberg is supporting a bill that forces land lords to pay for improvements.
High Minority Populations Near California's Toxic Facilities
California has the highest amount of minorities living near industrial facilities in the nation. Los Angeles alone has more than 1 million living within two miles of hazardous waste facilities.
City Subsidizes Gentrification In Black Neighborhoods
With tax abatement for 5 to 15 years for renovated properties, the City of Richmond, Virginia, loses $14.6 million each year in real estate taxes. Meanwhile, long-time residents are pushed out by high taxes for unrenovated houses they own or rent.
Southeast Wisconsin's MPO Lacks Diversity
Statistics provided by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commisison (SEWRPC) at the request of the American Civil Liberties Union show that SEWRPC's technical advisory committees are 98% white.
Affordable Housing Not Adding Up In New Orleans
Despite vastly higher levels of federal affordable housing tax credits awarded to Louisiana, developers are pulling out of projects because they can't make sufficient profits.
Predatory Lending And The Foreclosure Crisis
An interview with Keith Ernst, senior policy counsel for the Center for Responsible Lending, on the devastating impact of subprime loans on home ownership.
Houston Becomes Sixth-Largest U.S. City
The population in Houston has passed that of Miami, making it the sixth-largest city in the United States. Between 2000 and 2006, the city saw a 17.5% growth rate.
Is There A Gender Gap In Commuting?
Randall Crane offers a blog post about his research of an exception to the gender gap: the trip linking work and home, which is consistently and persistently shorter for women than men.
Out With The Strippers, In With The Homeless
Residents in Cleveland, Ohio, may be putting their tax dollars towards relocating a strip club. The relocation is part of an effort to acquire the club's current location for reuse as a homeless shelter.
Fiesta On The Sandy Shores Of Mexico City
For those who can't get to the coast, tons of sand have been trucked into a park in Mexico City, where residents flock to spend a day at the "beach". But critics see the effort as a wasteful in a city where many residents still have no running water.
San Francisco Bay Area Begins To Grow Again
After many years of lagging population growth many attribute to the bust of the dot-com boom, the San Francisco Bay Area has shown a positive population growth rate for recent years.
Metro Atlanta Tops U.S. Population Growth
Confirming what Atlanta residents have long sensed based on mind-numbing traffic and high-rise condo towers breeding like bunnies, the Census Bureau announced that the Atlanta region has added more residents since 2000 than any other U.S. metro.
Do We Need To Rethink Gentrification?
A growing number of scholars argue that traditional ideas about the causes of gentrification, as well as the winners and losers, may be unfit to describe the complex processes happening in modern day cities.
Retirement Communities That Reach For The Sky
Wealthy retirees who value city living over golf courses are creating demand for new urban, high-rise retirement communities.
Immigrants Are 'Saving' U.S. Cities
While some cities are attempting to drive immigrants out, others are welcoming them with open arms. As a Wall Street Journal writer asserts, "All booming American cities are immigrant cities."
Why Kids Should Walk Or Bike To School
L.J. Williamson laments that many parents do not let their children walk, bike, or play outdoors fearing for their safety even as crime rates go down and concerns about childhood obesity-related ailments rise.
Homelessness Getting Bigger In The Big Easy
Though homelessness had always been a problem in New Orleans, the issue has been amplified since Hurricane Katrina. Public officials and housing advocates are concerned about the lack of services needed to address the problem.
New Zealand Government Pressured For More Affordable Housing
Spurning options that lead to urban sprawl, academics and politicians in New Zealand are urging the government to address the shortages and to make so-called "social housing" more palatable.
Barriers To Planning: Lessons From Katrina
Evacuating people after Hurricane Katrina revealed chronic shortcomings of local and regional evacuation planning. The barriers that hindered efforts in New Orleans apply not only to evacuation planning, but to planning in general.
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
