<p>The "housing bubble" isn't the only threat facing the U.S. economy: the problem is compounded by the securitization of risky mortgages on international money markets -- which are going to be in trouble as defaults increase.</p>
<p>As suburbs have increased in population, so too have their rates of poverty, according to a new Brookings Institution Report. Suburban poor now outnumber their inner-city counterparts for the first time.</p>
<p>Oakland's new progressive mayor and the Oakland Apollo Alliance are working to turn that city's fortunes around through "green collar" jobs and "green enterprise zones".</p>
<p>In the second of his two op-eds on the future of transportation in the United States, columnist Neal Peirce looks at the role of public transit.</p>
