Urbanization

Emerging Trends Report: Urbanization is the 'New Normal'
The Toronto Star picks up on the Urban Land Institute's Emerging Trends in Real Estate report, finding the trend of urbanization in Canada to reflect the trend in the United States.

China Filling 'Ghost City' with Rural Farmers
In a bid to urbanize its vast interior, China plans to settle one of its vast pre-built cities with workers unused to city life. Upon arrival, they undergo training to become instant urbanites.
Researchers Pushing for Even Bigger Chinese Cities
Research suggests China’s current urbanization policy forgoes $2 trillion in growth over the next ten years. That is, unless the government funnels even more migrants into major population centers and develops for density.

Study: Urbanization Not a Silver Bullet for Economic Growth
A study comparing urbanization and per capita GDP between 1980 and 2011 questions common assumptions about the connections between economic growth and cities.
Latest American Community Survey: Continued Growth for (Some) Cities
According to the latest figures from the U.S. Census 2013 American Community Survey (ACS), Americans continue to move into cities en masse over suburbs, but certain cities are attracting larger crowds than others.

Report: Cities Segregating by Employment Type—Not Just Income Level
New analysis from Richard Florida and the Martin Prosperity Institute maps segregation by employment type, finding the darker effects of the creative class.

Growth Battles Heating up in Seattle
The growth of Seattle growth is inflaming passions on either side of the issue—some claim that the city wants everyone to "live in cubicles"; others say the city isn't doing enough to prepare for 120,000 expected new residents.

What a Megacity with 107 Million People Looks Like—via SimCity
Writing for Motherboard, Derek Mead details what it took for a particularly ambitious SimCity player to build a city of 100 million people.

Sprawl and the 'Death of the American South'
A post by Sustainatlanta reacts to the recent study that predicted massive, sprawling growth in the South in the next 50 years. The post's concern is that sprawl will "eviscerate' the Southern lifestyle.

Modeling the Explosive Growth of the Southern Megalopolis
A new study, "The Southern Megalopolis: Using the Past to Predict the Future of Urban Sprawl in the Southeast U.S." predicts urban sprawl and warns of its possible consequences over the next 50 years.
Can Kentucky Compete in an Urbanizing, Global Economy?
Braden Lammers provides a dispatch from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Business Summit and Annual Meeting, sharing the testimony of one business leader on the state's work force challenges.
Worldwide Urbanization Reflected by Growth of Mega-Cities
A new report by the United Nations projects the growth of the world's urban population, which is expected to surpass six billion by 2045.
Chinese-Style Urbanism—Now Exporting to Africa
In what's described as a transformational trend, a new article claims that more and more Chinese-made buildings, infrastructure, and urban districts are under construction in Africa.
Are Hyper-Urbanizing Countries Experiencing Lower Vaccination Levels?
Urbanization may turn conventional thinking about vaccinations on its head, at least in India.

Urban America's 'Reconnaissance Mission for Progressive Politics'
Recent commenters have described cities as the locus for a new type of liberalism that benefits a broader swath of demographics. Dissenters wonder whether certain progressive cities, enabled by privilege, are merely drivers of inequality.
Caught Between Rural and Urban: the Migrant Workers Urbanizing China
China's rapid urbanization has been built by a class of citizens called "nongmin," or peasants, many of which have migrated to urban areas for work but retain their legal status as residents of the countryside.

APA Poll Finds Millennials and Boomers 'Investing in Place'
During the American Planning Association's (APA) 2014 National Planning Conference in Atlanta, the APA announced findings from a national opinion survey that shows a clear interest in place-making among the concerns of Americans of all ages.
New Seattle Bus Funding Initiative Addresses City-Suburb Split
It's a pattern seen as recently as two years ago in metro Atlanta: a crucial transit measure wins in the central city but dies in the more populous suburbs. The fix is to craft a city-only transit initiative—just what advocates in Seattle will do.

Is it a Suburban Exodus Yet?
A new report finds that suburban areas are losing residents to urban areas like New York City and Washington D.C., even well past the point when people would have traditionally made the choice to return to the suburbs.
Examining the United States’ Urban/Rural Dichotomy
Governing presents a special series examining the “Rural/Urban Divide” in the United States.
Pagination
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
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service