Social / Demographics

Miami Flooding

Climate Gentrification in Miami

With the threat of sea level rise, homes on higher ground in Miami are becoming increasingly desirable. But they are located in low-income communities of color, and residents are facing rising housing costs and displacement.

January 6, 2019 - Slate

Cattle Farmers

Meeting the Challenge of Feeding 10 Billion People Sustainably in 2050

With world population to grow by about 2 billion by 2050, and with more people eating higher on the food chain as nations develop economically, can world agriculture reduce its carbon footprint? A new World Resources Institute report shows how.

January 5, 2019 - Forbes

Newark

Affordable Housing Cap-and-Trade Idea Resurfaces

In New Jersey, a cap-and-trade system existed for two decades and appeared to just perpetuate housing and social inequities. But now legislators and researchers are considering it again.

January 4, 2019 - CityLab

Orca in Washington

Washington State Budget Makes Puget Sound Orcas a Priority

Southern Resident orca numbers are distressingly low. The proposed budget would fund a number of measures to help the whales.

January 4, 2019 - Crosscut

Macron Protest

Learning the Wrong Lessons From France's Yellow Vest Movement

The widespread Yellow Vests protests, which initially involved hundreds of thousands of protestors in November, are wrongly being interpreted as a movement against carbon taxes and climate action, rather than a revolt against social inequities.

January 3, 2019 - World Resources Institute

San Francisco Skyline

San Francisco-ization, a City's Biggest Nightmare

Cities spend a lot of time and energy pointing to examples of what they don’t want to become.

January 2, 2019 - The New York Times

Black Americans

Chicago’s Black Population Could Drop by Half by 2030

1.2 million African Americans lived in Chicago in the 1980s. Now Cook County loses tens of thousands of African Americans every year.

January 1, 2019 - Chicago Reporter

Washington

Displacement Controversy Arrives in SeaTac

Controversy surrounds a development deal in the city of SeaTac, after the city made a $15.5 million development deal that could displace a local business community powered by immigrants from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

January 1, 2019 - The Seattle Times

Hotel California

California Population Growth Continues to Slow

The latest demographic data released Friday by the state's demographic unit shows shows an increase of 0.54 percent, one of the lowest on record, as birth rates drop, death rates increase, and more people leave the state than arrive from others.

December 28, 2018 - California Department of Finance

The Mission

Critiquing the Notion of Neighborhood Character

Zócalo Public Square Editor Joe Mathews takes aim at the phrase, “We want to protect the character of the community," calling it a lousy argument in normal times and verging on "treasonous" due to climate change and California's housing crisis.

December 27, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Dollar Store

Dollar Stores Encroach on the Grocery Business: Bad News for Public Health

Stores like Dollar General and Dollar Tree are putting a lot of grocery stores out of business, leaving communities with fewer places to buy fresh produce.

December 27, 2018 - Civil Eats

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Most Popular Planning Articles of 2018

We crunched the numbers on all the features, blog posts, and news articles we published in 2018 to figure out which made the biggest splash with readers.

December 27, 2018 - James Brasuell

Protected Bike Lane

British Columbia's Climate Plan Bans Sales of Gas and Diesel Passenger Vehicles by 2040

Ten years ago, British Columbia launched North America's first carbon tax. This month, Premier John Horgan unveiled the long awaited climate plan, CleanBC, that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 2007 levels by 2030.

December 26, 2018 - Vancouver Sun

People

Black-White Segregation Decreasing, Slowly

Segregation is decreasing, even in America’s most segregated big cities.

December 26, 2018 - The Brookings Institute

Growth Chart

Population Growth at 80-Year Low

William H. Frey reveals the most important takeaways from the recent population data released by the U.S. Census, and recommends the country focus on caring for an aging population and leveraging immigration for economic growth.

December 25, 2018 - Brookings

Venezuela

Lamenting the Decline of Caracas, Once the 'Jewel of Latin America'

"A generation ago, Venezuela’s capital was one of Latin America’s most thriving, glamorous cities; an oil-fuelled, tree-lined cauldron of culture that guidebooks hailed as a mecca for foodies, night owls and art fans."

December 24, 2018 - The Guardian

Mobility

Bikeshare Programs Lack Accessible Options

City bikeshare programs are failing to provide equal access for disabled residents, the Times reports.

December 20, 2018 - New York Times

Houston Metro

Gentrification Threat Spreading in Houston, Particularly on City’s East Side

A decrease in affordable housing, the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and demographic changes mean more of the city’s neighborhoods are facing gentrification challenges.

December 20, 2018 - Rice University News & Media

London 1854

What’s the Life Expectancy in Your Neighborhood?

To create a tool for people better understand their cities and communities, Quartz mapped life expectancy in cities down to the census tract levels.

December 16, 2018 - Quartz

Brazil City

How Many People Live in Cities? The Answer Isn't Obvious

The measures of urbanization vary widely, and the differences pose a challenge in developing policies and plans for cities.

December 14, 2018 - CityLab

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.