Tim Halbur

After an experimental phase of earthworks and video installations, public art is on the rise. And, a New York Times art critic reports, the quality is looking up.

<p> A couple months ago, we posted an announcement seeking student bloggers for the 2008-2009 school year. We received a pile of great applications, but two new students stood out. Each week, they will bring you reports from their master&#39;s programs at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachussetts Institute of Technology. </p> <p> <img src="/files/u20704/Tamika.jpg" width="179" height="183" align="left" /><img src="/files/u20704/JBArg.jpg" width="167" height="183" /> </p> <p> <em>Tamika Camille Gauvin                      Jeffrey Barg<br /> </em> </p>

Bill Fulton says that California's new smart growth and climate change law doesn't really contain any new ideas, and it's unlikely to make a huge difference in California's growth patterns all by itself.

Chicago's Metro is closing down its rolling taverns- not for reasons of temperance, but because they need the room for the growing number of rail commuters.

Eric Lombardi, a waste-management guru, has drawn up a fanciful plan for an "eco-cycle, zero waste park" which reimagines the dump as a composting, recycling, and educating facility.