Dwellr is a new app from the Census Bureau that matches the top 25 U.S. cities and towns to your lifestyle preferences. And unlike other recent federal technology rollouts, this one seems to work pretty well.
Sarah Goodyear takes dwellr, a sophisticated new app available for Apple or Android devices on a test ride.
In addition to delivering a demographic profile of your current location, "the app will let you plug in key information about yourself and start looking for a city (or suburb) to live in. Indicate your preferred employment, whether you like the mountains or the coast, your favorite commuting mode, your marital status, and so on. Dwellr will generate a list of up to 25 communities that are a good match for you."
"I’ll give it high marks for matching me accurately," says Goodyear. "Dwellr pulled up my hometown of New York – the city I can't seem to tear myself away from – as my top choice, with Philadelphia and Boston rounding out the very short list (no wonder I feel like I don’t have many options)."
FULL STORY: A New Census App Tells You Where You Should Be Living

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research