USA Today

After a 5-year slide, Julie Schmit reports on investor and analyst optimism regarding the Housing Market in 2012 and beyond

After the Big Dig, the most expensive highway projects are subject to more rules, but use of funds is largely up to the states, who may come back for more money pending planning and design issues that arise.

Pocomoke City officials have funded the construction of a restaurant and bar in their city with no tenant on the horizon - just hopes to attract a star chef and spur economic development downtown.

According to a study by the non-profit Trust for Public Land, reporter Haya El Nasser says that dog parks are becoming the fastest-growing of city parks nationwide.

USA Today reports that efforts to increase cycling in Mexico City have succeeded in getting middle and upper-class residents on two wheels.

World annual death toll due to particulate pollution from indoor and outdoor sources is 2 million people each year, according to a new report from the World Health Organization.

Housing sales fell for the fourth month in a row, a bad sign for the ailing industry and the economy in general, writes Derek Kravitz.

The America's Cup, the worlds fastest yacht race, is destined for San Francisco in 2013. But local environmental groups are not pleased with the current plan to manage the environmental impacts of the event.

In USA Today, Florida picks 10 neighborhoods that give a "slice of local urban life," ranging from Miami's Wynwood and Design District to Fort Worth, Texas' West 7th community.

Due to open in a month, Lynn Rasic discusses the underlying elements that made up the National September 11 Memorial, including a single rescued pear tree symbolic of the City's resiliency and strength.

From growing minority populations to growth in the South and West, The United States has undergone major shifts in the last 20 years, according to this analysis from USA Today.

With great success, the city is on a fast track to transform six Great Depression-era public housing projects - totaling 4,000 units - into mixed-income housing. "People will be watching New Orleans closely," observes Linda Couch.

Unoccupied housing is on the rise in many parts of the country, according to an analysis of U.S. Postal Service data.

Created by President Obama in response to the BP oil spill last summer, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Task Force is now working on a project that restores the flow of sediments to wetlands in Texas. Funding from BP helps facilitate the costly process.

Of the 27 high-ranking cities, repeat offenders like San Francisco, NYC, Seattle, and Denver earned top spots. Conspicuously absent from the list is Portland.

The National Recreation and Parks Association is on a mission to fix up neglected parks around the country. Atlanta and D.C. are the first to benefit from their new program, "Parks Build Community."

Suburban population growth in the U.S. is still on the rise, but new trends show that those suburbs closest to urban cores and those farthest away are driving the growth.

USA Today reports on some of the more unusual methods being tried around the United States to relieve traffic congestion.

Small neighborhood developments of cottages with low square footage known as "pocket neighborhoods" are catching on, especially with empty nesters looking to downsize.

As gas prices rise, more voices are calling for increased investments in transit and more multi-modal city planning.