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.

Demographics Courses

data map from census website
Working with Census.gov 3: Interacting with the Data
Chris Williamson
65 Mins
people sitting inside a New York subway car
Women and Cities 4: Gender Equity in the Public Sphere
Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman
55 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
state and county census map
Working with Census.gov 4: Quality, Interpreting and Examples
Chris Williamson
64 Mins
pedestrians and bicyclist in helsinki
Women and Cities 5: The Feminist Future City
Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman
59 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
downward view of crowd crossing intersection
Introductory Population Analysis with Excel
William Riggs
50 Mins
  • SACPLAN CPD
New Orleans neighborhood with city skyline in background
Methods for Neighborhood Scale Revitalization
Jason Neville
68 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
pedestrians crossing busy urban intersection
United States Census 2020: Introduction
Chris Williamson
74 Mins
kansas city missori buildings
Introduction to Culture and Placemaking
Annalise Fonza
63 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
women taking census survey at door
United States Census 2020: Using FactFinder and the American Community Survey
Chris Williamson
79 Mins
  • AICP CM
people sitting on a bench overlooking new york skyline
The Theory and Practice of Culture and Placemaking
Annalise Fonza
71 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
planetizen-courses-census-2020-form
United States Census 2020: All About Census 2020
Chris Williamson
85 Mins
  • AICP CM
aerial of denver with buildings and transit
Equitable Transit Oriented Development
John Hersey
57 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
map showing demographics using geoda software
Measuring Neighborhood Segregation and Diversity
Emily Talen
56 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
Rendering of a mixed use development with a theatre, restaurant, and residential units above
Suburban Remix: Creating the Next Generation of Urban Places
David Dixon
63 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
diverse co-workers working in an open office layout
Working With Cross-Cultural Differences
Kevin Lo
71 Mins
  • CIP
  • AICP CM
a row of three suburban homes
Just Suburbs: The New Frontier for Equity and Inclusion
David Dixon
56 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
aerial of Houston with houses and buildings
Planning for Racial Equity
Lance Freeman
55 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
emergency call box on public street
Crime and Urban Planning in the United States
Qian He
51 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
population map of united states from census 2010
Working with Census.gov 1: Background and Geography
Chris Williamson
77 Mins
large group of people doing yoga outdoors in a city center
Women and Cities: Gender Equity, Past and Present
Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman
54 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
The I-5 in Portland, Oregon.
Roadways for People, Part 1
Lynn Peterson, Elizabeth Doerr
79 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
exterior of census bureau building
Working with Census.gov 2: Topics, Programs, Products
Chris Williamson
75 Mins
women and children sitting at praxagora kok project in Stockholm
Women and Cities 3: Gender Equity in Private Life
Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman
54 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM

Top Demographics Instructors

Chris Williamson

Chris Williamson has spent 40 years in academia, public and private sector planning, and environmental analysis.

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Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman

Katrina is a lecturer, researcher, and advocate for heart-centered cities. Her work focuses on human behavior...

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David Dixon

David is well known for helping create new, mixed-use urban districts (in both cities and suburbs)...

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Annalise Fonza

Dr. Annalise Fonza is a Lecturer in the Department of Urban & Regional Planning at the...

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Elizabeth Doerr

Elizabeth Doerr is a writer with expertise and awareness around social and racial justice issues and...

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Lynn Peterson

Lynn Peterson is a nationally recognized transportation and land use integration expert.

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Qian He

Dr. Qian He is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Maryland, College Park and...

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John Hersey

John is a planner with two decades of experience critically evaluating and advancing transit-oriented development as...

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Jason Neville

Jason is an experienced urban planner, redevelopment professional, and affordable housing developer.

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Lance Freeman

Lance Freeman is a Professor in the Urban Planning Program at Columbia University in New York...

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Kevin Lo

Kevin Lo is an Associate Professor at the University of San Francisco School of Management in...

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Emily Talen

Emily Talen is Professor of Urbanism at the University of Chicago. Her research is devoted to...

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William Riggs

William (Billy) Riggs, Ph.D., AICP, LEED AP is a nationally recognized professor, consultant, and strategist.

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All Demographics Courses

Area-Based Location Optimization: Urban Green Space Selection Sign Up

Area-Based Location Optimization: Urban Green Space Selection

Instructor: Kevin Credit

By the end of this course you will understand the basic principles of area-based location optimization and be able to solve the knapsack, threshold, and shape problems using LINGO software. The course also shows how to map the results of these skills in QGIS.

4.23
48 Mins
AIA CES
AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD
Location Optimization Sign Up

Location Optimization

Instructor: Kevin Credit

This course introduces the basic principles of location optimization models and provides a hands-on tutorial on point-based location optimization using QGIS and LINGO.

4.32
70 Mins
AIA CES
AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD
Urban Design for Planners 8: Parking and Traffic Sign Up

Urban Design for Planners 8: Parking and Traffic

Instructor: Emily Talen

The final course in the Urban Design for Planners series addresses the automobile as part of the urban fabric. The storage of cars and high levels of congestion can be very detrimental to neighborhoods, but good design can mitigate those negative effects. 

4.20
90 Mins
AICP CM
CNU-A
LA CES

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