International Herald Tribune

As part of its entrance into the European Union, Bulgaria was required to submit a list of territories it wanted to have protected. The list has fallen short of environmentalists' hopes, and gone too far in the minds of landowners and investors.

Recovery and reconstruction have seen rapid success in Sadr City, Baghdad's largest predominantly Shiite area. Many have moved to this former slum, while violence tends to occur mainly in Sunni areas of Baghdad receiving few recovery resources.

An Italian village that once spent almost three months of each year in the shadows of a nearby mountain has turned to technology to provide sunlight during its annual spell of darkness. A huge sun-tracking mirror now reflects light onto the village.

Plans for a long-imagined underwater high speed rail line connecting Europe and Africa emphasizes the comparative lack of rail development in the United States.

As more and more buildings are designed to be energy efficient and car companies offer to take back and dispose old vehicles for free, sustainable design is increasingly on the agendas of major corporations.

After decades of being victim to urban blight and decay, the world famous locale is experiencing a wave of redevelopment aimed at wooing back tourists and attracting new residents.

While Vancouver's downtown residential population has exploded, the housing boom has crowded out commercial office space, to the detriment of the city's economy.

A new wave of public street furniture has rolled out in New York City, including bus shelters, newsstands, and automatic public toilets. Some are unsure whether the new designs will be accepted by a city already overwhelmed with visual individualism.

A public park and art space is set to open next week along Seattle's waterfront, replacing a former brownfield site. The new Olympic Sculpture Park was created by the Seattle Art Museum, an expansion of which is set to open in May.

The increasing desire for renewable energy sources as an alternative to fossil fuels has many utilities and communities looking to tap the earth's energy to power and heat homes.

Concerned that promised replacement housing will never materialize, displaced residents and low-income housing advocates are fighting the planned demolition of the city's public housing projects.

An official government rule published this week citing a shortage in farmland and food crops may force China's oil companies to cancel plans to explore large-scale production of biofuel. Losses in farmable land continue to cause problems for China.

Rules may soon be changing along the Champs-Élysées in Paris, allowing more shops to open for business on Sundays -- a day the country traditionally sets aside for rest.

New urban development in the former Saigon reflects the city's booming economy and ambition, but some look at other fast-moving Asian cities and worry about the consequences of such rapid growth.

The Tokyo suburb of Kakamura has shown great appeal to expatriates because of its availability of space and proximity to scenic natural resources -- attributes that sharply contrast the dense and bustling big city one hour away.

The five newly approved underground and elevated rail transit projects are aimed at easing the notoriously congested traffic of Thailand's capital.

Superstar Tony Hawk's annual fundraiser is trying to change the attitudes of many cities towards the sport by helping them build skate parks.

The population is rapidly declining in Bulgaria, especially in the younger age brackets, leaving many older residents to struggle as the social security system is on the verge of no longer sustaining itself.

Developers are increasingly investing in remote locales as price appreciation slows in traditionally developed areas.

To reduce traffic congestion and pollution, officials in Beijing will prohibit the use of private cars at sporting events during the 2008 Olympic Summer Games.