Phoenix

Bicycle commuting is on the rise in metropolitan Phoenix, where bike shops are reporting increasing sales of commuter bikes.

This article from Grist looks at the city of Phoenix as it teams with Arizona State University to shift the city's direction from endless sprawl to a smarter, more environmentally-conscious growth pattern.

Phoenix's public art program is widely touted as one of the best in the country. But a proposed floating sculpture has elicited criticism from an otherwise uninvolved public, mainly due to the fact that the city is facing a large budget deficit.

Officials in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler are rallying behind proposals to increase density in the city, arguing that the urban shift will make the city more vibrant.