Social / Demographics

Bay Area Workers are Moving Back
Many of the tech employees who left Silicon Valley during the pandemic are making their way back to the Bay Area–and so are higher rents.

New Fair Housing Rule Should Address Evictions
HUD's new fair housing rule crucially overlooks the role of evictions in perpetuating residential segregation.

Coronavirus Litigation: CDC Loses Ability to Regulate Cruise Industry in Win for Florida Governor
In a stunning reversal, a federal appeals court panel on July 23 reversed its ruling issued six days earlier in favor of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after Gov. Ron DeSantis appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court.

Redlined Neighborhoods Suffer More From Extreme Heat
The recent heat wave in the Pacific Northwest highlighted how historical inequities still affect the health and well-being of low-income and marginalized communities.

Opinion: Give Students Free SEPTA Rides All Week Long
Philadelphia's student passes cut off at 8 p.m. and don't include weekends, but expanding the free fare program could help SEPTA rebuild ridership and create lifelong transit users.

'Unprecedented' Portland Community Benefits Agreement Prioritizes Racial Equity
The Broadway Corridor CBA is designed to create high quality jobs, housing, and opportunities for historically excluded communities.

Research: Traffic Stops Don't Stop Traffic Deaths
A comprehensive study using data from 33 states shows no significant correlation between police stops and reduced crash rates.

Big Cities Aren't as Bad as People Think
Paul Krugman argues that the pervasive myth of cities as crime-ridden cesspools harms democracy and creates a false contrast between urban and small-town America.

Women Avoid Walking Due to Fear of Assault, Survey Says
A global survey shows that women around the world overwhelmingly cite fear of assault as the top reason for avoiding walking.

Remote Work Won't Radically Change Where We Work
As tech firms like Apple expand their satellite offices and remote work opportunities, economists and work experts debate just how much the dispersal made possible by remote work will be held in check by the forces of agglomeration.

Virginia to Launch Innovative New Anti-Speeding Pilot Program
The state of Virginia's new traffic safety program will focus on speeding as fatal factor in automobile collisions and could eventually provide a model for similar programs around the country.

Seattle Faith Leaders Call Density Bonus Amendment a 'Poison Pill'
An amendment increasing affordability requirements to 60% for housing built on church-owned property has come under fire from Black church leaders who call it a death knell for many affordable housing projects.

New Homeless Plan for D.C. Aims for Post-Pandemic Reset
Washington, D.C. is looking to build on some past success, and recover from some setbacks, with the adoption of a new plan to address homelessness called Homeward 2.0.

Mandating and Verifying Vaccinations
President Joe Biden might consider observing the actions of his French counterpart to learn of successful strategies to deal with the COVID-19 vaccine-hesitant and resistant population.

Flood Buyouts Exacerbate Inequality in Harris County, Texas
New research shows that less affluent households disperse farther to find affordable homes, leading to a loss of community and social capital.

What Is Urban Renewal?
Ostensibly intended to improve "blighted" neighborhoods and provide better housing conditions, urban renewal often involved displacement and the wholesale destruction of urban communities.

New York Lags Behind California in Converting Hotels to Affordable Housing
While the Golden State has awarded $800 million in funds for 'Project Roomkey,' a bill passed by the New York State Senate languishes in the governor's office.

Prolonging the Pandemic: A Public Health Expert Faults the Biden Administration
Over 100 million eligible Americans have chosen not to be inoculated against COVID-19, posing a risk to vaccinated and unvaccinated alike. A July 4th White House celebration was a "missed opportunity" to model health policies, opines one expert.

Report: 'Housing as a Commodity' Increases Residential Segregation
The growth of institutionalized housing has led to growing inequality between Black and white homeownership rates in the Twin Cities, new research shows.

'Mapping the Gay Guides' Highlights LGBTQ Safe Spaces
Using a series of mid-century guidebooks, a new project seeks to uncover historic LGBTQ spaces around the country.
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