Social area analysis, pioneered in the 1950s concerns a city’s discrete divisions with distinctive social traits. It is a useful tool in modeling a city’s socio-spatial attributes. However, its applications in urban planning and policy-making are rare. The reasons for this being 1) the use of linear correlation methods tends to oversimplify the complexity involved and often produce patterns irr...

Urban economics dictate that cities must grow to maintain their vitality. Small cities increase their population and economic base, thereby expanding their city limits. Large cities manage growth so that expansion is controlled, avoiding real estate and economic depressions. Former Albuquerque Mayor David Rusk argues in Cities Without Suburbs that cities with aggressive growth strategies prospe...