Pennsylvania

Sixty-one of downtown Pittsburgh's largest property owners commit to cutting energy, water and transportation consumption by 50% over the next 18 years.

August 24, 2012 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As the ways in which cities across the U.S. are utilizing the web continues to increase, open data is changing the way citizens interact with their government. Philadelphia is one city using information to level the power playing field.

August 24, 2012 - Next American City

This week, Philadelphia officially enacted the long-overdue replacement to its antiquated 1962 zoning code. City leaders hope the simplified and modernized code will encourage development.

August 24, 2012 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Amtrak is considering where to build stations in Philadelphia for high-speed rail. One of the options is a new station in Market East, an underdeveloped part of downtown. Leadership sees the project as a potential catalyst for new building.

August 19, 2012 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

A proposed waterfront apartment building received final approval from Philadelphia's Historical Commission last week, disappointing waterfront advocates and preservationists who claim its design violates the city's new waterfront master plan.

August 15, 2012 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Located adjacent to the nation's 3rd busiest train station, Philly's new multi-use plaza - dubbed The Porch - provides a welcoming entryway to the city and a model for a "lighter, quicker, cheaper" approach to urban improvements.

August 10, 2012 - Switchboard

Under new legislation introduced this week in City Council, naming rights for Pittsburgh's public buildings and advertising on city vehicles and employee uniforms will be sold to the highest bidder in an effort to monetize the city's resources.

July 26, 2012 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Neighborhood Improvement Districts in Philadelphia are facing challenges from a skeptical public for the first time since their introduction over 20 years ago, Alex Vuocolo reports.

July 5, 2012 - Next American City

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.

July 1, 2012 - The Pittsburg Post-Gazette

After seizing control of a condo association, a Pennsylvania developer has forced 11 homeowners to sell their units for as little as a third of their appraised value, leaving them stranded with crippling mortgages, Teke Wiggin reports.

June 30, 2012 - AOL Real Estate

Young activists Emaleigh and Ainé Doley take matters into their own hands to clean up their neighborhood street in run-down Germantown.

June 29, 2012 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Locals celebrate 60 years of Levittown, the trend-setting, post-war suburb of Philadelphia. Meanwhile nearby, a 17th century mansion is saved.

June 25, 2012 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Forever plagued with issues, from lack of funding to a lack of political support, Philadelphia's SEPTA mass-transit network is (again) on the verge of collapse.

June 22, 2012 - Philadelphia City Paper

With cities across the country seeking to find innovative and economical solutions to problems caused by combined sewer systems, could Philly's popular Green City, Clean Waters program be a model worth copying?

June 11, 2012 - National Geographic News

With the highest obesity rate and poorest population of America’s big cities, Philadelphia is launching an ambitious plan to increase residents' access to healthy food, reports Sarah Kliff.

June 9, 2012 - The Washington Post

Rather than turn its back of the remnants of the industry that made and unmade this quintessential steel town, Bethlehem is rethinking its identity with the abandoned steel plant turned cultural magnet as its centerpiece, writes Tom Stoelker.

June 8, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

A free platform that promises to "bring citizen feedback into the digital age" is being employed to help shape Philadelphia's comprehensive plan, reports Matt Bevilacqua.

June 6, 2012 - Next American City

As Philadelphia seeks to shift the basis of its property tax system, Catherine Lucey and Jan Ransom report on legislation to be introduced by two City Councilmen that could provide property tax relief to long-time residents of gentrifying areas.

June 1, 2012 - philly.com

The result of a contentious battle over its eventual relocation from a Philadelphia suburb to downtown, the new building designed to house the renowned Barnes Collection is reviewed by Ada Louise Huxtable, no less a national treasure herself.

May 25, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

The onetime steel capital's transition to an economy based on the healthcare sector has helped Pittsburgh emerge from the recession much quicker than many other cities, bringing welcome jobs and questions about its sustainability, reports Don Lee.

May 14, 2012 - Los Angeles Times