AlterNet

The New York City Parks and Recreation Department is being criticized for continuing to use Amazonian Ipe wood for its park benches and boardwalks.

The unexpectedly rapid melting of glacier ice in Greenland has scientists worried that it may be only years -- not centuries -- before rising sea levels begin to affect coastal cities like New York.

Sao Paulo Brazil has implemented a ban on outdoor advertising, calling it "visual pollution."

A society that values lower taxes above all other considerations shouldn't be surprised when its public realm crumbles beneath it, writes Joshua Holland.

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

Cities continue to compete with each other over the opportunity to host the next Olympics, despite repeated examples showing that the games lead to bloated housing markets, lost jobs, debt and repressive social policies.

Working-class families priced out of urban areas and a squeezed middle class facing shrinking wages and unaffordable housing, are among those living in poverty in the suburbs.

African-Americans and Latinos have been particularly hard-hit by the predatory lending practices of sub-prime lenders, writes Mark Winston Griffith, Co-Director of the Neighborhood Economic Development and Advocacy Project.

What library schools don't cover: The fact that public libraries are now de-facto homeless shelters, and librarians are having to act not only as social workers but also as frontline medical staff.

Food grown in neighborhood and backyard farms is catching on with urban residents who are looking for healthy, fresh, locally grown food.

When the cropland to power an SUV can feed a person for a year, attempts to wean America off of oil through biofuels raises some serious moral questions.

Thinking and acting green is all the rage these days, but commentator Neal Peirce ponders if it can ultimately be more than just a passing fad?

Mayor Rocky Anderson has used his office to transform the way the city does business, winning him support even when his policies run against the political mainstream.

Sixty years ago, chains like A&P and Woolworth transformed American citizens into consumers. Shedding this consumer identity is key to turning back the big-box tide, says Stacy Mitchell, the author of a recent book on mega-retailers.

Urbanist James Howard Kunstler talks about peak oil, the railway system, new urbanism, and politics.

AlterNet reports on a peak oil event in New York City, featuring James Howard Kunstler and Julian Darley, and calls into question Kunstler's use of language to frame the peak oil debate.

If we are going to make a genuine effort to address climate change, it means re-evaluating our reliance on passenger jets, says George Monbiot.

The stubborn car culture rooted in American suburbanism does not have to be fought; eventually, through successful examples and experiments, the automobile will be viewed as a valued commodity in certain situations, rather than a ubiquitous solution.

The World Bank recognizes the countless social and environmental problems caused by dams, but won't let them get in the way of building more and more dams.

A columnist argues that we should label automobiles with public health warnings in the same style as cigarette packets.