Houston

A barge spilled 168,000 gallons of heavy oil after colliding with a ship in Galveston Bay outside of Texas City on March 22, just two days shy of the 25th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez, 11 million gallon oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

March 25, 2014 - Galveston County Daily News

Starting in April, Houston will close 2.5 miles of streets to automobile traffic between 11 am and 3 pm. Additional street closures will follow in May.

March 12, 2014 - Houston Chronicle

Are rideshare companies like Uber here to stay? The answer likely hinges on a series of legal battles taking place nationwide.

March 1, 2014 - Grist

In anticipation of the 2017 Super Bowl, Houston First Corp. is seeking approval of a project to improve the city's convention center and “reshape the once-moribund East End of downtown into a dynamic new focal point of the city.”

February 4, 2014 - The Houston Chronicle

Houston's METRORail will triple in size next year, going from 7 to 22 miles. METRO Chairman Gilbert Garcia enthusiastically describes the new 5.3-mile North Line extension and last week's celebration to open it. Two new lines will open next year.

December 28, 2013 - KTRK-TV (ABC 13)

Off-year elections rarely generate much interest from voters. But at a time when those in D.C. can't seem to get much done, local elections are, in many ways, deciding the direction of the U.S. Mike Riggs examines some of compelling storylines.

November 5, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

The energy capital of America sees money in them thar autos - in parking them, that is. Tapping motorists for parking bears some similarity to tapping shale basins for oil - without the fracking. Sightline's Alan Durning writes about the resemblance.

October 16, 2013 - Sightline Daily

In a city that has long typified auto-centric sprawl and unplanned growth, a funny thing is happening. An urban revival has taken root as the city competes with its suburbs and other big cities to attract residents and businesses.

October 1, 2013 - Governing

The Woodlands was conceived four decades ago as a new style of suburb, mixing the urban and pastoral. And by all accounts it has remained a "special place" as it has matured. But as it nears full build-out, some wonder if its bubble might soon burst.

September 10, 2013 - The Houston Chronicle

From the panhandle to the Gulf coast, cities across traditionally car-crazed Texas are building bike-share systems and expanding bike infrastructure to lure businesses, residents, and improve public health.

August 19, 2013 - The Texas Tribune

For a city known for concrete and freeways, Houston has made great strides investing in parks and green spaces. With several new parks completed and in the works, and older ones being renovated, the transformation is garnering national attention.

May 6, 2013 - Houston Chronicle

In order to facilitate the construction of more workforce housing, Houston is considering changing its development rules for the first time in 14 years. Will increasing density limits in the "doughnut" beyond Loop 610 help bring down prices?

April 15, 2013 - Houston Chronicle

Providence, Rhode Island's vision for improving early childhood literacy has been selected as the winner of the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Mayor's Challenge, a nationwide contest seeking innovative and replicable ideas for improving cities.

March 13, 2013 - The New York Times

WSJ editorial write Allysia Finley opines on the out-migration of working class Californians in search of employment and lower housing costs, contrasting it with in-migration of the same class of Americans during the Depression - also on video.

March 7, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

In an opinion piece for the Houston Chronicle, John Desmond discusses the findings of a ULI advisory panel tasked with developing recommendations for creating a mixed use 24-hour neighborhood in downtown's east side.

March 3, 2013 - Houston Chronicle

Houston's 14 percent recycling rate is downright dismal (San Francisco's is 80 percent). The city's entry in the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Mayor's Challenge seeks to change this by taking the onus off of individuals to decide what's recyclable.

February 28, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Dozens of transit expansion projects will start, continue, or complete construction this year across America. Yonah Freemark delivers a thorough rundown of the exciting year ahead in transit construction and makes note of a dark cloud on the horizon.

January 2, 2013 - the transport politic

The oil and gas companies clustered south of the central business district and in the Woodlands account for 3.4 percent of the city's employment, but the concentrated energy sector helps spread the wealth to other sectors in zoning-free Houston.

December 7, 2012 - The New York Times

While the federal government balks at increasing money for transportation projects, local officials across America are turning to their constituents to get the go ahead for significant transportation investment. What projects are at stake today?

November 6, 2012 - the transport politic

Decaying and disused buildings litter many American inner-city neighborhoods. In Houston, one imaginative project turns potential into pride and empowerment by creating unique, new uses for old homes.

September 23, 2012 - Switchboard