Michael Dudley

Facing urban decline and abandonment, a growing list of U.S. cities may be dramatically accelerating the process by returning vast swathes of land to nature.

Photographer Camilo Jose Vergara's pictures document Harlem's journey from a "rundown version of Paris" in the 1970s to the "global Harlem" of luxury condos and corporate franchises [includes slideshow].

Climate models show that California -- the source of one third of America's food supply -- is running out of its reliable water supply.

<span>When we think of cities in antiquity, we don’t hesitate to think of them in association with their respective civilizations. After all, the words <em>civic</em> and <em>civilization</em> share the same root word in Latin, <em>civitas</em>. Similarly, we can now say that we live in a globalized civilization largely structured on what author Jeb Brugmann refers to in his new book <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Welcome-Urban-Revolution-Cities-Changing/dp/1596915668/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1244824502&amp;sr=1-1"><em>Welcome to the Urban Revolution</em></a> as the global City. </span> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span>However, in our focus as planners on addressing concerns with current development projects and other local issues we might be forgiven for sometimes losing touch with this larger picture: that the city is still the focal point and driver for those processes we refer to as civilization.</span>

With California facing a $24.3 billion deficit, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has released a budget that eliminates $70 million in funding for the state's parks system.