Demographic data support the three Laws of Growth, which are helpful in understanding the character of rapid suburbanization and successful policy responses.
American growth has historically been linked to a higher quality of life. For some 50 years, the United States has experienced unprecedented economic growth, producing higher levels of affluence, homeownership, and mobility for most Americans. The economic boom of the 1990s has seen increasing demand for larger homes on larger lots, often with garages to handle three or more vehicles. Most Americans now live in suburban communities, and suburban growth has steadily increased pressures on government services, infrastructure, and the environment. One consequence of largely uncoordinated land development and rapid expansion of suburban areas is that many urban centers have languished.
Thanks to Chris Steins
Read the full story: Growing Pains: Quality of Life in the New Economy
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Malls are becoming the midtowns of the future
Mall and office park redevelopments are a generational opportunity to create new nodes of urbanity.
NYC breaks ground on anti-flooding infrastructure project
New York City's new system will reduce stormwater flows to local sewers by 90%.
One Kentucky town’s secret to affordable housing
The Smoketown Community Land Trust has already built seven affordable homes for community members.
Houston gains petal-shaped cooling infrastructure to make streets more ‘delightful’
The city has installed the pavilions along 15 blocks in Houston.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority