AlterNet

New York has become a concentration of the super-wealthy, and soaring real estate values are driving out supermarkets. Will street vendors be able to fill the gap?

A coalition of civil rights groups are concerned that the plans to redesign Washington D.C.'s National Mall will spatially restrict free speech and public protests, a charge the National Park Service rejects.

Mark Ames, author of "Going Postal", wonders if American gun tragedies like last week's massacre at Northern Illinois University might be at least partially explained by the bleak physical built environments of middle America.

In this interview about her new book, "Blue Covenant," Maude Barlow argues that current and future shortages of fresh water aren't the result of drought, but rather the massive overuse, abuse and mismanagement of water sources.

Amid the many negative impacts from the fallout of the subprime crisis is an emerging and disturbing trend: foreclosed homeowners are trashing their properties on their way out the door.

Troubled by allegations of fraud by a former CEO, and weighted down by trillions of dollars in possibly worthless mortgage-backed securities, Fannie Mae may also be the victim of a federal agenda of privatization, writes Scott Thill.

Desalination plants are being seen as the solution to declines in global freshwater supplies. But as Scott Thill reports, the plants may be an environmental disaster in the making.

Echoing the peasant revolutions that led to the creation of modern China, farmers are rising up against the factories they accuse of contaminating rivers and destroying their livelihoods.

In this video clip, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown discusses how presidential politics are unduly influenced by rural power, at the expense of the interests of cities.

Among Alternet's top 10 positive trends in 2007 are raised environmental consciousness; U.S. mayors taking the lead in climate change regulations and a "waste-free" plan for the Indian state of Kerala.

A primer on how the economics of housing have been the foundation of not just urban planning but the whole American economy since the 1930s, and why the current housing crisis could have such a far-reaching impact.

Naomi Klein believes that HUD's demolition of public housing in New Orleans isn't just about responding to flood damage: it's a classic example of what she calls "The Shock Doctrine" -- using disasters to restructure and privatize whole economies.

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson condemns the Bush Administration's disregard for America's cities in this video.

While coal industry lobbyists promote "clean coal", scientists argue that such technology is years away. Meanwhile, the mountains of West Virginia are being leveled with devastating consequences for the environment and for neighboring communities.

The luster seems to have come off of gated communities: not only is the market for them shrinking, but they are facing rates of crime and foreclosure no different from other forms of development.

A new documentary portrays a grim new reality: veterans make up 25% of the homeless population in America -- a percentage which is expected to rise.

More and more universities and colleges are working on greening their operations. Here's the top 10.

In this interview, civil rights leader and environmentalist Van Jones talks about the interconnections between urban sprawl, racism and the "prison-industrial complex".

The recurring theme in horror movies of newly-arrived tenants being haunted by former tenants and vengeful spirits may be seen as a metaphor for gentrification, writes Sam Miller.

Cairo has one of the most severe air pollution problems in the world. Now efforts are underway to clean up the source of much of this pollution, the brick manufacturing industry.