USDA
Rural Affordable Housing in Crisis
Rural U.S. communities are poised to lose hundreds of thousands of affordable housing units as federally backed mortgages mature.
Unlocking the Biogas Potential in America's Farms
Thinking about "renewable power" often bring hydroelectric, wind, and solar to mind. The informed will recognize geothermal and biomass as major renewables. Biogas, the non-fossil natural gas, is not well known because few facilities capture it.
Where America Grows: Mapping the Country's Crops
Did you know that sweet potatoes are only produced in a small area of North Carolina? Or that flaxseed is only grown in the country's remote northern reaches? Crop maps published by the USDA paint an interesting picture of American agriculture.
Departure of USDA's No. 2 Official Deals Blow to Sustainable Agriculture
In an essay for Grist, Tom Laskawy laments the departure of deputy secretary Kathleen Merrigan, the Obama administration's "most powerful supporter of local and organic foods," from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
New Tool Improves the Search for Food Deserts
The USDA's new Food Access Research Atlas provides a handy guide for assisting policymakers and planners in finding the urban and rural areas with the most formidable obstacles to accessing fresh healthy food, reports Nancy Shute.
Renewed Hope for U.S. Food Policy Reform
Over the past four years, hope turned to disappointment over lost opportunities to "make agriculture less fossil-fuel dependent, re-localize food systems, and rebuild America’s food culture." Does a second term for Obama mean more of the same?
Farmers Markets Continue Healthy Growth Across America
Philip Bump reports on new data out this week that shows the number of farmers markets increased by 10% in the past year.
Pittsburgh to Become an "Urban Forest"
The City of Pittsburgh, PA has announced an "urban forest master plan" to add more foliage to the 2.5 million trees already covering the city.
Farmers Markets Become Key Weapon in Combating Food Deserts
Rachel Cernansky reports on the federal government's recently announced plan to expand access to healthy foods by increasing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) acceptance at America's farmers markets.
Food Deserts Exaggerated
The "food deserts" problem is receiving heightened attention following the release of the USDA's locator map. But this analysis relies on the suspect premise that suburban supermarkets are superior to small, walkable urban foodsellers.
USDA Loans Push Rural Housing
A little-known USDA program offers Rural Development Guaranteed Loans, which would allow low-income residents to buy homes in "rural" areas--places with fewer than 25,000 people. Under this guideline, many suburbs in Phoenix qualify.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
