Tennessee

Bicycles are being collected and distributed to Chattanooga's homeless in an attempt to improve their quality of life.

General Motors has closed its facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee, leaving hundreds of employees and thousands of residents to an uncertain fate.

Mayor Karl Dean of Nashville, TN spoke yesterday about his belief that the area needs a regional transit system, and now. Said Dean, "We need to be bold, not afraid and push forward fast."

Shelby County and Memphis are on the verge of adopting a new smart growth zoning code to slow urban sprawl and breathe reinvigorate urban centers. The county's Main Street Mall will remain car-free. "Pedestrian-friendly" is the new planning theme.

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

Low fuel prices, high corn prices, and a new CA regulation that penalizes the energy intensity necessary to convert corn to fuel are hurting the industry.

The massive flood of coal ash sludge in Tennessee may be the most serious environmental disaster in the nation's history and promises to be a flashpoint for opponents of coal power. [Includes slideshow of spill damage].

FEMA has redone official maps of flood-prone areas across the country, designating some as flood zones for the first time.

What was meant to be an icon for the city of Memphis has become a burden, as the city's pyramid-shaped sports and concert complex sits vacant and unused. The city is still trying to find a way to reuse it.

Private funders attempting to build a $175 million Bible theme park asked for tax-increment financing to reach their goal. The county also denied a re-zoning request, but the park has found a new home in neighboring Wilson County.

A new study suggests that getting freight onto trains and off of trucks would have a significant impact on traffic.

Kentucky and Tennessee residents who were evicted in the 1960s to make way for a nature preserve are fighting to make sure their history is accurately represented in historical markers and visitor centers at the site.

This piece from NPR looks at water issues in Nashville, Tennessee, where local officials are trying to make the city's aging infrastructure a priority for voters.

Downtown Knoxville has seen many improvements in recent years. This column calls on the city to be careful how it lets private interests use downtown's new public spaces.