Suburbs

Touring the Suburban Environment

Jason Griffiths and Alex Gino set out in 2002 to document the unremarkable character of the American suburbs. 22,382 miles and 2,593 photographs later, they concluded that suburbia "is difficult to define."

October 24, 2011 - Design Observer

Why the Suburban Exodus Hasn't Happened Yet

Greg Hanscom at Grist asks, if, as polls say, so many Millennials want to live in the city, why is the downtown resurgence a trickle rather than a flood?

October 18, 2011 - Grist

From Sprawl to Complete Communities

Galina Tachieva's new Sprawl Repair Manual creates a narrative and visual process for making suburbs more sustainable. The book's first chapter is available now online.

October 11, 2011 - Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built & Natural Environments

The "Suburbanization of Poverty" is a Decades-Long Trend

The current observation is that the urban poor are moving to the suburbs. Alon Levy says that this is nothing new, and the current effects of such movement is in fact just the "tipping point" of what's been happening for the last 50 years.

October 2, 2011 - Pedestrian Observations

Americans Crave the Familiar in Architecture and Design

Kaid Benfield argues that if people are going to embrace mixed-use, denser living styles, architects and designers need to "embrace the familiar."

September 26, 2011 - NRDC Blog

Companies Flee Suburbs for Detroit Office Space

More and more businesses in suburban Detroit are packing up an moving into the center of the city.

September 2, 2011 - The Detroit News

Poverty Aid Misfocused

As aid programs continue to focus on battling poverty in cities, suburban areas are becoming the new front lines.

August 16, 2011 - The Brookings Institution

Nation's Poor Reside in Suburbs

Suburban growth has coincided with the increase in immigrant population. Yet, while immigrants account for 30 percent suburban population growth, they account for only a fifth of the increase in the poor population, a recent Brookings study showed.

August 9, 2011 - Brookings

When Poverty Grows in the City, Poverty Grows in the Suburbs

Metropolitan poverty spreads from cities to the suburbs. This post from Metro Trends explains.

August 4, 2011 - Metro Trends

Burbs Becoming "Mini-Cities"

Jenny Sullivan of Builder Magazine spots a trend for slightly increased densities in suburban towns, creating urban-lite communities that are attracting city dwellers who would never have dreamed of living in the burbs.

August 3, 2011 - Builder Magazine

American Youth Go Suburban

The youth of America will ditch its cities in favor of the suburbs, according to this op-ed from Joel Kotkin.

July 27, 2011 - New Geography

Where the Youth Goes, Companies Follow

Companies are moving back to the city in response to a new generation of workers who prefer the urban environment over suburban office parks.

July 22, 2011 - CNN Money

Shanghai to Create Suburbs as Remedy for Urban Density

Shanghai in its 12th Five-Year Plan is modeling seven new satellite cities as suburbs to alleviate the density in the city center, reports Yu Ran, China Daily.

July 14, 2011 - Chila Daily

Sprawl On: Suburbs Top the Hierarchy of Healthy Places

A new finding by Univ. of Wisconsin Population Health Institute reveals that when the health variable is isolated, suburban living beats living in the city and in rural areas.

July 12, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

Cities and Suburbs Converge into New Economic Generators

As the downturn in the market physically reshapes the metropolitan regions of the United States, the shifting populations and economies of its cities and suburban areas are becoming increasingly intertwined.

July 7, 2011 - The Atlantic

Suburbs or Cities: Which Has More Crime?

A Brookings Institute report shows that the difference between crime in the suburbs and cities has drastically decreased, and argues that the current drop in crime rates weakens the correlation between ethnic groups and crime.

July 6, 2011 - The Brookings Institution

Graying of the Suburban Image

The 2010 Census showed that the baby-boom generation led to the growth of older populations settling in suburbs, which is causing local governments to rethink whom their services should cater to.

June 30, 2011 - The Washington Post

Section 8 Hits the Suburbs

The federal rental assistance vouchers known as Section 8 are increasingly putting low-income families into empty homes in the suburbs.

June 27, 2011 - The Washington Post

The New Yorker's Dizzy Love of the Suburbs

Nicholas Lehmann wrote a review earlier this week wrapping up all of the latest planning books like Ed Glaeser's Triumph of the City into one hodgepodge critique that boiled down to a defense of the suburbs.

June 26, 2011 - The New Republic

The History and the Flaws of the Cul-de-Sac

This episode of 99% Invisible looks into the history of the cul-de-sac, and why its design flaws overpower its benefits.

June 21, 2011 - 99% Invisible

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.