North America

From smaller residential projects to vast mixed-use developments, more and more architects are crossing over into development work, bringing a fresh perspective to the process.

As foreclosure rates rise across the country, former homeowners are seeking shelter in suburban "tent cities" while municipalities struggle to cope with extra costs and declining tax revenues.

Plans for a North American Superhighway will have major environmental effects, argues this article from The Valley Advocate of Connecticut.

In an interview with Preservation Online, author Anne Matthews explains the growing movement to preserve historic sounds.

"Back-to-the-loft environmentalism" promotes the notion that living sustainably can happen in the middle of a city, rather than fleeing to the country.

A vortex of winds has concentrated garbage and plastic flotsam into a huge island of garbage in the middle of the Pacific Ocean -- an unintentionally man-made mass that is growing at a rapid pace.

'Retail incubation' is finding footing in New Jersey and nationally as a downtown revitalization tool.

Advances in reverse osmosis membrane technology are convincing more and more cities to invest in cleaning their own used water instead of piping it in from far-off reservoirs.

With more and more children living in urban and suburban environments and surrounded by electronic distractions, fewer kids are experiencing nature.

Seattle planner, architect and journalist Mark Hinshaw's new book, "True Urbanism," explains the theories behind why droves of people are abandoning the suburbs and flocking to dense, diverse urban environments.

Architype Review profiles 8 new and renovated Religious institutions in the words of their design teams.

This commentary looks at the paranoia surrounding plans to construct a superhighway from Mexico to Canada, and claims that conspiracy theories about its intentions are hindering public policy.

The ever-growing size of American homes means that, regardless of how "green" the construction techniques, they will be rapacious users of energy for decades to come.

Plans to construct a trans-Texas highway corridor have theorists speculating that this transportation infrastructure is the first step in a secret plan to create a North American union between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

The concept of increasing density has been given a negative connotation of causing crowdedness and eliminating privacy. This article argues that people will respond more favorably to plans that improve walkability.

The Project for Public Spaces has released its list of the five best neighborhoods in North America.

It's time to remove the fare box and watch how fare-free transit can transform society, writes Dave Olsen.

A trip to Baja California -- with its ubiquitous taco stands -- inspires one resident of a New Urbanist community to deal with his neighborhood's lack of eateries by developing a plan for a taco stand.

The idea of aging in community honors the elder stage of life as one with gifts and challenges. It encourages creation of caring neighborhoods and networks that provide for affordable, quality housing to support future needs and new opportunities.

Greensboro's Southside neighborhood, a 10-acre revitalization project, features restored historic homes, live-work units, corner retail, a central transit stop, and a metamorphosis of the once-blighted neighborhood into a vibrant community.