Tim Halbur

Builders John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods, hit hard by the downturn, is meeting consumer price points by creating compact home designs instead of the 4,700 sq. ft. homes that were their bread and butter.

Matthew Roth of Streetsblog SF takes a tour of Portland's impressive green streets program from landscape architect David Elkin. Stormwater runoff is a major component of the program, as are new bike lane designs.

Norwood, Ohio lost 4,000 jobs and gained an empty industrial site back in 1987 when GM left town. "In the long run, it was the best thing that ever happened," says Mayor Tom Williams.

Over forty years, the federal government exploded almost a thousand nuclear warheads under the Nevada desert. Radiation leeched into the aquifers, in a region with a growing population and a water crisis.

Experts believe that financing for retail projects may begin flowing early next year, but are concerned that the pool of recipients may be limited, and projects may be conventional.