Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built & Natural Environments

Crafted with a sort of evangelical "New Ruralism," the 166-acre Agritopia neighborhood east of Phoenix mixes gardens, pastures, orchards, restaurants, lush trails, and more with historically inspired homes designed to bring neighbors together.

When Borton and Welsh found 90 acres bordering a national forest near Whitehall, Montana, they parked a trailer, dug in, and began building Sage Mountain Center, a combination of cordwood and straw bale, powered off-grid by the sun and wind.

The master plan for Salem, Oregon's Pringle Creek Community is ambitious, says Jim Fitzsimons, incorporating mixed-use, sustainable development with the community-enhancing aspects of old city neighborhoods.

Terrain.org takes a look at Plum Creek, a New Urbanist development outside Austin, TX that added 1,400 households to a town that had only 4,000 people in the mid-1990s.

The Department of Energy is proposing to construct massive "energy corridors", land designated solely for the purpose of energy conduction like oil, hydrogen and electricity.

There is growing evidence that the gravest peril for ocean species may be posed by “the other CO2 problem” — acidification of the world’s oceans as a consequence of the influx of carbon dioxide generated by human activities.

"Sky islands" are a globally unique convergence — the north-south overlap of two major cordilleras spanning the temperate and subtropical latitudes, covering some 40 distinct mountain ranges in the southwestern U.S. But they are at risk.

A new approach to urbanism in suburban Atlanta, the Tributary community is based on a mixed-use master plan integrating and interconnecting a range of residential neighborhoods, a village center, a town center, and more.

Located seven miles south of the town of Loreto in Baja California Sur, the Villages of Loreto Bay is an 8,000-acre new urbanist development that strives to be North America’s largest sustainable resort development.

The idea of aging in community honors the elder stage of life as one with gifts and challenges. It encourages creation of caring neighborhoods and networks that provide for affordable, quality housing to support future needs and new opportunities.

Greensboro's Southside neighborhood, a 10-acre revitalization project, features restored historic homes, live-work units, corner retail, a central transit stop, and a metamorphosis of the once-blighted neighborhood into a vibrant community.

When residents of Denver's Curtis Park neighborhood learned of a plan to build an apartment complex on a small lot, they formed the Curtis Park Investors Group (CPIG) to purchase the land. Then they built something else.

Austin's artists, arts organizations, and creative businesses contribute to the vibrancy, help define the identity, and sustain and grow the city's diverse cultures, especially in the burgeoning Second Street District.

During its short history, the University of New Mexico at Taos has developed a campus spirit that reflects and complements its surrounding community and environment.