United States, California

Cohousing, which is cooperatively-managed but independently-owned housing, is gaining popularity in the Northwest. A new cohousing project in Portland just opened its doors last weekend.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have filed a lawsuit against Metrolink, saying surveillance cameras, which were installed after a deadly crash, are an "invasion of privacy."

The New York Times examines a handful of places in the US embracing zero-waste policies, how they're doing it, and what challenges lie ahead.

Without even a hint of sarcasm, the National Park Trust is planning to give an award to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for protection of public lands.

With only 100 voters and a mayor with strong financial ties to the city, Industry, CA is "disturbingly insular," says the LA Times. And with a proposed $800 million stadium in the works, Industry's concentrated power is called into question.

Global corporations like Frito Lay and Barnes and Noble are attempting to co-opt the word 'local' into their branding.

California has finally begun to encourage insurance companies to offer "pay as you drive" (PAYD) insurance policies. The Natural Resources Defense Council says it's a half baked policy.

Ever wonder how many people hop on those cable-cars in San Fran without paying the fare? Well, it turns out that transit cheats cost MUNI, San Francisco's transit agency, an estimated, $19 million a year.

A new report shows a dramatic trend in homelessness: increasing numbers of former homeowners left with nowhere to live after foreclosure are turning to homeless shelters.

That's Lynden Miller's motto, an artist and garden designer with a new book, Parks, Plants, and People: Beautifying the Urban Landscape. The Wall St. Journal has a profile.

With a recent documentary, Julius Shulman is back in the spotlight. But the uncritical view of Shulman's legacy leaves a lot out, says Christopher Hawthorne.

A profile of Alvaro Huerta, the son of Mexican immigrants who is combining his urban planning studies with social activism.

A photography show in 1975 is credited with changing the way artists looked at landscape, shifting towards looking at the built environment with a less romantic viewpoint. The original show is back on tour and opens at the LA County Museum of Art.

The White House is pushing for more solar power projects nationwide, but environmental concerns are stalling the progress of plans to build solar projects in the California desert.

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that the first year of the recession has taken a harsh toll and that these impacts are being particularly felt in three key regions in the country.

The commercial real estate crash is coming and isn't pretty, but ULI senior fellow Stephen Blank and others say it won't be nearly as bad as the collapse of the residential housing market.

Cities are struggling with the right way to control bicycle traffic in a system built for cars. Should bicycles act like cars? Or should roads change to meet the special needs of bicycles?

Three-wheeled, alternative energy vehicles like the Aptera may soon qualify for funding from the Dept. of Energy.

LEED for Neighborhood Design (LEED-ND) is approved to become a permanent certification program.