Knowing the social makeup of a community can be crucial to making informed, equitable policy decisions. The study of demographics uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau and other sources to gain a deeper understanding of how people of different ages, ethnicities, and abilities experience urban spaces and interact with the built environment and public space. Learn how to access, interpret, and manipulate demographic data to boost your planning practice.
All Demographics Courses
Lewis Mumford on the City 5: The City as Man's Home
In this fifth episode of the series, Mumford begins his exploration of the city during a period of rapid transformation during the Industrial Revolution, when old cities grew quickly, new cities sprang up in the countryside, and the wealthy fled to the countryside, neglecting the health and prosperity of those who stayed behind.
The Pruitt-Igoe Myth
The 2011 documentary film “The Pruitt-Igoe Myth” documents the rapid rise and fall of a housing complex in St. Louis. Pruitt-Igoe became a symbol for the failure of public housing policy in the late 20th century.