Bowling Alone

Italy Coronavirus

Overcoming Social Distance

People are finding new ways to connect digitally across physical spaces during the coronavirus pandemic, and these temporary solutions could have a lasting impact on the way we live.

April 13, 2020 - Lev Kushner

Suburban Three-Car Garage

Autonomous Vehicles: Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out?

The implications of autonomous vehicles for social interactions are potentially vast.

July 6, 2017 - William Riggs

France Public Life

We Don't Play in Public Like We Used To

As more and more children are kept in homes and yards, Joe Cortright worries about the effects of private play on American culture and public spaces.

February 25, 2017 - City Observatory

Model Neighborhood

The Death of Neighborhoods

In the same vein that Robert Putnam explored decaying community and social capital in American in his work, Bowling Alone, Brian Bethune discusses how the decay of Western communities shapes our health and political realms.

August 13, 2014 - Maclean's

Google Maps Store

How Technology Is, and Isn't, Affecting Street Life

By analyzing four public spaces using William H. Whyte's groundbreaking techniques for studying street life, a team of researchers led by Keith Hampton reached some surprising conclusions about how technology is changing our social interactions.

January 20, 2014 - The New York Times

Building Resilience Through Reconnected Communities

What has the United States lost in its journey from a nation of communities to a nation of individuals? Resilience, for one, says Scott Doyon, who suggests how we can utilize community design and planning processes to regrow social ties.

August 14, 2013 - PlaceShakers

How the Suburbs Killed Our Connectivity, And How to Fix It

The deeper our sense of community, the better positioned we are to take on change, says Scott Doyon, but the leisurely lull of the suburbs may have killed our ability to work together.

December 7, 2011 - PlaceShakers

The Social Benefits of Walkability

People who live in walkable neighborhoods watch less TV, participate in more local organizations, and trust their neighbors more according to a new report from the University of New Hampshire.

December 27, 2010 - Treehugger

Fighting Isolation With Sleepovers

After a murder in his neighborhood, writer Peter Lovenheim decided that he needed to become closer to his neighbors. So he packed up his sleeping bag and invited himself over for a sleepover.

July 24, 2008 - The New York Times

Putnam's Bowling Alone Reviewed

A review of Robert Putnam's important new book, Bowling Alone concludes "Magnificent and yet unpersuasive."

April 9, 2001 - The Public Interest

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.