Work from Home

A man working from home works on his laptop from bed.

How Remote Work Could Reshape American Cities

If projections about remote work hold true, the resulting migration could shift economic centers, disperse housing market pressures, and transform the politics of small communities.

January 10, 2022 - Vox

Regional Transit

Remote Workers: The New Supercommuters

Workers who moved away from their jobs during the pandemic are adjusting to longer commutes as employers start asking them to return to the office.

December 29, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

A vial of blood marked "Omicron" sits on top of paperwork indicating relevance to Covid-19.

'A Tidal Wave of Omicron Coming'

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson sounded an alarm on the public health threat posed by the Omicron variant. On Monday, he announced that a British resident had become the first person in the world whose death is tied to the new variant.

December 16, 2021 - Daily Mail

Suburban House

Single-Family and Build-to-Rent Homes Growing in Size

As people perform more daily functions at home, homeowners and renters are seeking larger footprints to accommodate a broader range of uses.

December 14, 2021 - GlobeSt.com

A sin on a street in Chur, Switzerland lists public health precautions.

Swiss Vote to Retain COVID Mitigation Measures

A nationwide referendum held on Sunday, Nov. 28, on coronavirus measures enacted by the Swiss federal government, including the controversial Swiss Covid certificate (vaccination verification), passed with 62% of the vote.

December 7, 2021 - The New York Times

A man passes by a store in an empty mall. A sign in the window of the store reads "Covid-19 Essentials."

Downtown Foot Traffic Recovering Slowly, Report Says

Pedestrian activity in U.S. downtowns is still way down compared to pre-Covid levels, but the numbers are ticking back up month by month.

December 1, 2021 - Globe St.

The exterior of the Civic Opera Building in Chicago, an art deco building built in the 1920s.

Signs of Financial Distress Among Office Properties

The foreclosure risk facing a pair of high-profile office buildings highlight the debt difficulties facing the office sector as it deals with the fallout of the pandemic. The trend could be on the verge of picking up steam.

October 26, 2021 - Cincinnati Business Courier

An overhead image of a large wooden building as it's being constructed.

Small Downtown Businesses Adapt to Fewer Office Workers

Businesses that traditionally serve commuters have had to make adjustments to stay in business as remote work empties out central business districts.

September 20, 2021 - Chicago Sun-Times

Commuter Traffic

Why You Might Miss Your Commute–and How to Replicate its Benefits at Home

According to "boundary theory," a daily commute gives us time to do the emotional work of switching roles and establishing a separation between work and home life.

June 24, 2021 - The Atlantic

Traffic

Can Pandemic-Era Changes Ease Painful Rush Hours?

If even a small fraction of workers continue to work remotely or have more flexible hours, the resulting reduction in rush hour travelers could have a significant impact on peak hour congestion.

June 16, 2021 - The New York Times

Market Street, Center City

The Future of Downtowns Still Hangs in the Balance

Center City in Philadelphia offers a case study for one of the largest and potentially most consequential contingencies of the pandemic: What happens to downtowns is most workers never come back to the office?

June 9, 2021 - Philadelphia

Manhattan Construction

The Future of Central Business Districts

Urbanist Richard Florida assesses post-pandemic possibilities for neighborhoods that once relied on 9-to-5 workers.

May 24, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Office Building

Is Remote Work Actually More Environmentally Friendly?

An online calculator helps companies determine the broader impacts of their decisions to continue working remotely or return to the office.

April 6, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

New York City

Manhattan's Economy Depended on Office Workers. Now What?

With 90 percent of its usual commuters still working from home and a full return to the office highly unlikely, what will become of New York City's towering office buildings?

April 6, 2021 - The New York Times

California Shelter-in-Place

Predicting a Comeback for Cities

An argument for the long-term cultural and economic viability of the city, even after the pandemic.

April 4, 2021 - Vox

Taipei, Taiwan Skyline

Californians Seek Normalcy by Relocating to Taiwan

As the pandemic continues to disrupt life in the United States, some Taiwanese Americans are rebuilding their lives abroad.

March 30, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Mass Shooting Protest

'Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste' and Planning in the Pandemic

The latest in a series of compendia collecting news and commentary focusing on the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on communities.

March 23, 2021 - James Brasuell

Durango, Colorado.

How Working From Home Is Changing Where We Live

Remote workers are flocking to small, amenity-rich towns in the West, changing their social and economic landscape.

January 15, 2021 - High Country News

COVID-19

How Has COVID-19 Impacted Planners?

The pandemic has affected all of us in big and small ways. A park planner shares how his professional and personal lives have changed as a result of the coronavirus.

October 5, 2020 - Parks & Rec Business

William Penn

Using Artificial Intelligence to Map Telecommuting Prevalence

In the Philadelphia region, residents of wealthier neighborhoods will be more likely to work from home in the future, thus altering travel patterns and transit usage, according to a new mapping project powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

September 9, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

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Top Apps

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Top Schools

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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.