This column from Neal Peirce looks at the new megapolitan stronghold of the Intermountain West.
"This region of the ghost towns and legendary lone cowboy is now registering America's fastest population growth - and expects 11 million more people by 2040."
"And indeed, the five states of the southern Intermountain West - Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico - are prospering and growing so rapidly that they may soon be tagged the "New American heartland" to reflect how their economies and presidential votes (several are swing states) impact the entire country."
"Already Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix/Tucson and Albuquerque are centers of regions expanding rapidly, forming highly urbanized chains of development. The trend's so pronounced the regions are called "megapolitan," or "Mountain Megas" in a new report by Robert Lang and Mark Muro for the Brookings Institution."
FULL STORY: The Mountain West: A ‘Megapolitan’ Surprise

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.

Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.

OKC Approves 7.2 Miles of New Bike Lanes
The city council is implementing its BikeWalkOKC plan, which recommends new bike lanes on key east-west corridors.

Preserving Houston’s ‘Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing’
Unsubsidized, low-cost rental housing is a significant source of affordable housing for Houston households, but the supply is declining as units fall into disrepair or are redeveloped into more expensive units.

The Most Popular Tree on Google?
Meet Rodney: the Toronto tree getting rave reviews.
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