Tim Halbur

Yorktown was a booming exurb of Chicago, until the mortgage crisis put the kibosh on a number of developments in progress. Residents of these 'ghost towns' find themselves stuck with properties they can't sell.

Ann Arbor, Michigan bought a former YMCA building to serve as affordable housing. Four years later, it sits empty, a piece of the difficult housing puzzle. 'Given the environment now, it would be tough,' says one planner about the site.

Days after Palin became Mayor she cast a proud, dissenting vote against the first zoning plan in Wasilla's history. Wasilla today reflects the results of Palin's free-market approach to development.

The uber-wealthy are still buying homes on luxury golf course developments, but the rest of the market is hurting as courses close and projects stall around the world.

Mariia Zimmerman of Transportation for America makes the case for a significant investment in transportation infrastructure, from bike paths to inter-city trains.