Racial Disparity

Power plant infrastructure against a sky at dusk with a virtual white globe overlaid on top.

AI’s Growing Threat to Climate Justice

Emerging technologies like AI have great promise for climate innovation, but also a hidden environmental footprint could lead to disproportionate harm to low-income and marginalized communities.

February 28, 2024 - Brookings Institution

Houston

New Houston Housing Report Tells a Story of Under-Investment

A new report from the Kinder Institute for Urban Research highlights the state of housing the Houston and Harris County, and more specifically, the historically Black neighborhood of Settegast in northeast Houston.

July 21, 2020 - Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research

COVID-19

CDC Documents Racial Disparities of COVID-19 Illness

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides the federal government's most complete picture of the demographic data of COVID-19 illness.

June 21, 2020 - Yahoo News

Charlottesville

Mapping Housing Discrimination in Charlottesville

Like many American cities, the site of white supremacist unrest in 2017 has a long history of residential discrimination by race. This mapping project seeks to uncover the roots of today's disparities.

December 30, 2019 - Next City

Homeless in New York City

Beyond YIMBY: Racism and Finance in the Housing Crisis

Upzoning without addressing speculation and finance could exacerbate the housing crisis for the nation’s most vulnerable communities, a professor of urban planning warns.

June 11, 2019 - The Planning Report

Brooklyn

Advocates Push to Study Racial Impacts of NYC Rezoning

Neighborhood rezonings that disproportionately displace minority residents could violate the Fair Housing Act, advocates say.

April 15, 2019 - Brooklyn Eagle

Air Pollution

A New Look at Causes and Effects of Pollution, From Production to Consumption

Research shows racial disparities in exposure to air pollution as well as consumption of the goods and services that cause it.

March 22, 2019 - NPR

Accessory Dwelling Unit

ADUs Benefit Wealthy White Homeowners, Study Finds

Cities like Austin, Denver, Los Angeles, Portland, and now Seattle are pursuing equity-based agendas for ADUs.

October 22, 2018 - The Urbanist

Twin Cities Metro Area Stands to Gain by Addressing Racial Disparities

While the Twin Cities area continues to rank highly among U.S. metro areas for impressive employment and homeownership rates and low poverty rate, it also has the nation’s largest disparities.

October 19, 2018 - PlanIt - Metropolitan Council

A Black woman stands in front of a home holding an umbrella and smiling.

How to Shrink the Racial Homeownership Gap

Following reports that Black Americans owned homes in 2017 than in 1983, banker Teri Williams offers recommendations to diversify homeownership across the United States.

July 30, 2018 - Truthout

Durham

Evidence of Race's Role in Land Use Decisions

Analysis of a city's zoning and land use decisions over seven decades reveals the role race plays in decision making.

July 27, 2018 - CityLab

Houston

Houston Unveils Blueprint for Equity

A city task force has proposed an ambitious public jobs program as a way to make an immediate impact.

December 1, 2017 - Urban Edge

St. Louis

Report: Tax Increment Financing Is the New Redlining

A new report from the Show-Me Institute provides a scathing critique of the demographic disparities apparent in how the city of St. Louis deploys tax increment financing.

May 11, 2017 - St. Louis Riverfront Times

Downtown North Little Rock

Hidden Racial Tensions in 'Sundown Towns'

Some use the phrase to refer to Midwest towns where black people "aren't welcome after dark." A legacy of racial persecution has left majority-white places where black people feel their outlier status.

April 26, 2017 - Christian Science Monitor

Section 8 Kids

Study: Children Benefit From Public Housing

New research challenges prevailing wisdom on the best kind of housing assistance.

October 31, 2016 - The Washington Post

Lawns and Suburban Homes

4 Reasons Home Ownership Won't Close the Racial Wealth Gap

Homeownership is often promoted as a way for low-income and minority families to build wealth. But it is those very families who assume the most risk in buying a house.

July 22, 2016 - City Observatory

Baltimore Demolition

National Initiative to Address Structural Racism in Cities

Five U.S. cities will examine how their government operations impact people of color, and come up with solutions to advance racial equity.

July 1, 2016 - Living Cities

Bryant Park

Prioritizing Park Equity in Planning and Policy

The APA blog issues a call to action to promote park equity.

June 28, 2016 - American Planning Association

Pronto Bikeshare

Why Bikeshare Doesn't Appeal to Low-Income Commuters

While bikeshare garners a lot of attention from the white and wealthy, it is a less obvious choice for low-income communities. Difficulties include weather, time constraints, and overall demand for non-auto modes.

May 19, 2015 - Vox

March for Environmental Justice

Dumping in Dixie and the Inequity of Place

Only by better addressing issues of inequity can we create truly sustainable and livable communities. But is that even possible today?

December 15, 2014 - Mark Hough

News from HUD User

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

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.