Arizona

Despite a congressional ruling last year that prevents them, wight uranium mining operations have been approved near the Grand Canyon.

This article from High Country News dissects the Arizona real estate collapse through the lens of one exurb.

A boomtown in the desert that was expected to grow in population to more than 350,000 by 2020 is going bust, and putting things in perspective as the economy dives and foreclosures spread.

County sheriff’s deputies seek to cut inmate transportation costs by utilizing the Metro Light Rail. Passenger safety concerns have obviously been raised.

The Department of the Interior is alleged to have generated electric energy by limiting water flow to the Grand Canyon, at the expense of the landmarks' ecology--despite having access to scientific findings that warned against doing so.

Some trends are indicating that when the 2010 Census goes through Phoenix it's going to show a shrinking population -- a first for the booming desert city.

As a new light rail system begins operation in Phoenix, Atlanta residents look on with envy. Some worry that the lack of viable public transit in Atlanta threatens the city's competitiveness.

After 4 years of construction, the first light rail line has opened in Phoenix. NPR looks at the new transit option for the sprawling desert city.

There will be no infill development at Jefferson Park, near the University of Arizona, that increases density. The move contradicts the city's plan to achieve a more "urban feel."

Mesa, AZ is adding a new land use category to its general plan to promote mixed-use, high-density development along the light-rail corridor- specifically in an area of West Mesa formerly dominated by WalMart.

Phoenix is counting on a new light rail system to revive one of the city's long-ignored commercial corridors when trains start operation at the end of the year.

How exurban expansion paves the way for the next housing crisis.

Two men calling themselves the Typo Eradication Advancement League drove around the country fixing typos on signage in national parks- until the park service caught them defacing a historic marker in the Grand Canyon.

Scenic resort towns are increasingly attracting older residents, creating a population boom that far surpasses growth rates in many cities and urban areas.

This column from Neal Peirce looks at the new megapolitan stronghold of the Intermountain West.

This article from USA Today looks at how some big cities are reacting to rising energy prices. Two examples from metropolitan Phoenix highlight the fact that it is not only suburbs that are being forced to respond.

Governing Magazine takes a look at the light rail explosion in the Southwest, particularly in Phoenix, where weather is a major factor in ridership.

Scottsdale, Arizona planners have released a new vision for their downtown, in a 'trend toward urban living'.