Arizona

Would one of America's most sprawling, auto-dependent cities take to the country's newest light rail system? Even its proponents were surprised by its success and its transformative effect on downtown businesses, particularly during a recession.

September 21, 2009 - The New York Times - U.S.

Water saver or environmental hazard? Questions are compounding about artificial turf as more homeowners ditch their grass for fake lawns. Contradicting city policies muddy the issue in the arid Southwest.

September 4, 2009 - Miller-McCune

The real estate growth that had been feeding itself in the Sun Belt has come to an end. Now many places like Phoenix are drying up.

August 29, 2009 - The New York Times

The population of illegal immigrants in Arizona has dropped by a third, the biggest drop in the nation.

July 31, 2009 - The Arizona Republic

A church in Phoenix has been ordered to stop giving out free food to the homeless, which the city says is out of compliance with the church's zoning.

July 26, 2009 - KPHO

Colorado, Arizona and Texas have come together to apply for a $5m grant to research a possible high-speed rail link connecting Denver, Albuquerque, and El Paso.

July 18, 2009 - Transport Politic

Two new laws in Colorado make legal the formerly prohibited act of collecting rainwater. Other states aren't so lenient.

June 30, 2009 - The New York Times

City manager of Phoenix Frank Fairbanks talks about how the city created a program to advise residents on how to effectively and creatively reuse old buildings.

June 24, 2009 - Governing Magazine

The Phoenix Region recently opened a 20-mile light rail serving three cities. StreetFilms brings you a video profile of the new system.

June 20, 2009 - la.streetsblog.org

In Phoenix, human traffickers are using foreclosed homes to hold illegal immigrants hostage.

June 10, 2009 - The Wall St. Journal

The Metro's Rail Management Committee of East Valley is considering trading the naming rights of light rail stations for revenue.

June 8, 2009 - East Valley Tribune

Phoenix is undergoing another housing boom, with buyers clamoring to buy up properties with significantly discounted prices.

May 18, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

An Arizona company is proposing a solar-powered elevated train running between Tucson and Phoenix.

May 10, 2009 - Arizona Star

Despite a congressional ruling last year that prevents them, wight uranium mining operations have been approved near the Grand Canyon.

May 8, 2009 - Scientific American

This article from High Country News dissects the Arizona real estate collapse through the lens of one exurb.

April 26, 2009 - High Country News

A boomtown in the desert that was expected to grow in population to more than 350,000 by 2020 is going bust, and putting things in perspective as the economy dives and foreclosures spread.

February 28, 2009 - The Wall Street Journal

County sheriff’s deputies seek to cut inmate transportation costs by utilizing the Metro Light Rail. Passenger safety concerns have obviously been raised.

January 29, 2009 - The Arizona Republic

The Department of the Interior is alleged to have generated electric energy by limiting water flow to the Grand Canyon, at the expense of the landmarks' ecology--despite having access to scientific findings that warned against doing so.

January 29, 2009 - The Washington Post

Some trends are indicating that when the 2010 Census goes through Phoenix it's going to show a shrinking population -- a first for the booming desert city.

January 12, 2009 - The Arizona Republic

As a new light rail system begins operation in Phoenix, Atlanta residents look on with envy. Some worry that the lack of viable public transit in Atlanta threatens the city's competitiveness.

January 3, 2009 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution