Pennsylvania

The city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, will soon be one of the most watched cities in the world, with plans for 165 closed circuit cameras monitoring public spaces.

Philadelphia's City Council has approved two new measures that would preserve historic buildings along the Delaware River and require 100 ft. green setbacks. Some developers are protesting the ruling, saying it amounts to an illegal taking.

Philadelphians (and the Obama administration) sing the praises of the city's Fresh Food Financing Initiative, which works to bring healthy produce and groceries to underserved locations.

While urbanists have long used the built environment as their playground, the French sport of parkour is connecting residents of America's cities to their surroundings in a new, if not extreme manner.

Mini-farms across the city boost neighborhood appearances, help low-income residents in tough economic times

It was hailed as the solution to America's infrastructure spending deficit, but the influx of private funds has come to halt along with the failure of banks and the huge investment from the Recovery Act. Plus, many schemes aroused taxpayers wrath.

The executive director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission says that the zoning "overlay" of the central Delaware waterfront will be replaced by a new master plan in 12 to 16 months.

The Pittsburgh City Council has put a cap on the number of alcohol-serving establishments on the city's South Side, but property owners are crying foul.

The Philadelphia Enquirer's Inga Saffron looks at the city's newest public plaza and finds much to like -- and much for other cities to learn from.

Smart City talks with grass roots and civic leaders about how to revitalize flagging Rust Belt economies.

Transit oriented development is lacking near many of Philadelphia's transit stops, but new projects are bringing the city up to speed.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announced that the city will work to redevelop a 6.2 stretch of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, selling large tracts of city-owned land to developers.

Last week, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission handed out funds to Philadelphia counties to improve transportation and land use planning in growing suburbs.

Philadelphia's SugerHouse waterfront development could learn a thing or two from San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood, according to this piece.

Pittsburgh's strategy of slow, steady growth has made it the front runner for sustainable building. The city now boasts the most LEED-certified square footage in the country.

Despite advocating for an end to ground-floor garages, a neighborhood group in Philadelphia is now asking for an exemption to the rule it wrote against them.

Amid the recession, industrial towns in the Rust Belt have been forced to evolve as jobs dry up. But this is nothing new for the region, where towns have been re-imagining their economies for decades. NPR reports.