Michael Dudley

Plans to erect a concrete "eco barrier" around Rio's slum areas being heavily criticized by human rights activists and environmentalists.

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].

Retail analysts predict a "sea change" in the retail landscape in 2009, with a record number of bankruptcies, closures and vacancies.

The Globe and Mail remembers James Strutt, one of Canada's foremost modernist architects.

Adoption of American lifestyles abroad and a downturn in the U.S. economy are contributing to American design firms exporting suburbia around the world.