Racial tension is no more likely in multi ethnic neighborhoods, but Californians prefer to live in areas where their own ethnicity is the majority.
Although racially mixed neighborhoods often serve as the backdrop for violent interracial incidents like the Rodney King riots, they are not the epicenter of racial divisions in the state, according to a new study released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). In fact, whites and nonwhites who live in ethnically mixed areas are often more tolerant of each other than people who live in homogeneous neighborhoods.Previous studies have argued that racial tensions are highest in locations where different ethnic groups interact the most. In Ethnic Context, Race Relations, and California Politics, political scientists Bruce Cain, Jack Citrin, and Cara Wong find that people who live in ethnically diverse neighborhoods do not feel greater racial tension or hostility than those who live in predominantly single-race neighborhoods. For example, whites who live in multiethnic neighborhoods are more likely to believe America can become a color-blind society (46%) than whites who live in predominantly white neighborhoods (42%).
Thanks to Chris Steins
FULL STORY: Racial tension is no more likely in multi ethnic neighborhoods, study finds

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25,% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.

San Diego Swaps Parking Lane for Kid-Friendly Mini Park
The block-long greenway will feature interactive play equipment and landscaping.

Tracking the Invisible: Methane Leaks From LA’s Neighborhood Oil Sites
Environmental advocates are using infrared technology to monitor and document methane leaks from neighborhood oil sites, filling regulatory gaps and pushing for stronger protections to safeguard community health and the climate.

Montana Bill Promotes Parking Reform
A bill before the Montana state senate would bar cities from requiring more than one parking spot per new housing unit.
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.
Caltrans
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland