Sprawling development and alternative energy projects are a growing threat to California's productive farmland. Susie Cagle discusses how two bills "could give a boost to California agriculture big and small," while reining in sprawl.
Rachel Cernansky reports on the federal government's recently announced plan to expand access to healthy foods by increasing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) acceptance at America's farmers markets.
Mayor Sam Adams pens an opinion piece for <em>Grist</em> in which he considers why Portland is not as well planned as it could be, and how a different approach to planning is necessary for American cities to address their most pressing challenges.
William Brangham takes a look at Norfolk, Virginia, where rising sea levels have made major floods increasingly commonplace – and increasingly burdensome for taxpayers.
Lisa Hymas has a fascinating look at the anti-sprawl effort championed by Mitt Romney during his time as Governor of Massachusetts, which became the model for a key Obama “smart growth” initiative — the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.
Greg Hanscom, senior editor at Grist, speaks with Denis Hayes, who coordinated the first Earth Day in 1970, when he was 25, about the big day, green building, and his prognosis for the planet.
Rebecca Messner looks at the groundbreaking work being done by the present generation of landscape architects, and wonders why the only one most people can name died more than a century ago.
Claire Thompson profiles Neighborland, an online urban planning platform that aims to promote organic conversations that can build momentum and facilitate connections around improvement projects.
Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson reports on Open Walls Baltimore, the city’s first officially sanctioned street art exhibition, which seeks to bring new life to a transitional neighborhood, and presents a dilemma for its curator.
Sarah Goodyear discovers a project to help Brooklynites reclaim land owned by the city, but long since abandoned, and building neighborhood bonds in the process.
Greg Hanscom reports on efforts by FEMA and the Green Building Council to incorporate "climate resiliency" into green building certification criteria in recognition of the increasing effects of climate change.
