United States

'Little Evidence of a Substantial Cultural Turn' Away from Driving Among Millennials
According to an analysis of U.S. National Travel Surveys, the Millennial preference for non-automotive travel is mostly hype. Millennials show behavior similar to other age groups and respond to the economy.

U.S. Recycling Markets in Free Fall After China Pulls Import Plug
China has stopped purchasing the recyclables that millions of Americans place curbside on recycling days, upending the industry. Recyclables are already directed toward landfills as domestic markets are sought. Berkeley, Calif. may go a novel route.
'Father of GPS' awarded IEEE Medal of Honor
At the IEEE honors ceremony today [May 11] in San Francisco, Bradford Parkinson, a retired Air Force colonel who spent his life between maps and navigation systems, will be awarded the 2018 IEEE Medal of Honor,.
Coal Power Plants to Retire Faster Under Trump
Coal plants will retire faster than analysts had figured under the Clean Power Plan, which the Trump administration is repealing, yet the Department of Energy proposes to make building new coal plants a centerpiece of its energy policy.

Shouting Down Road Diets
In car-dependent communities, road diets and bike lanes can be a tough sell.

SUV Boom May Be Tied to Jump in Pedestrian Deaths
The number of fatalities from SUVs is up more than 80 percent in the United States since 2009.

Car Manufacturers Worried After Trump Administration Gave More Than Expected
The auto industry lobby is meeting with Trump Administration officials to convince them to ease off the throttle.

The Real Cost of Clean Water in One Kansas Town
Pretty Prairie has water with very high levels of nitrates, and lots of farmers that need to use nitrates if they want to keep the local economy going.

Post-Harvey Homeowners Face an 'Army of Speculators'
In Houston, investors are snapping up damaged homes that will be dependent on flood insurance.

The Future of the American Auto Industry: Not Cars
The American passenger vehicle fleet is being transformed into bigger, fuel-thirstier, and more dangerous models (for those hit by them). Americans have shown a preference for light trucks, and manufacturers are responding by ditching cars.

Defeating SB 827 Did Not Discourage the YIMBY Movement
Though the California housing bill was a high-profile failure for pro-development activists, there are initiatives all over the country that carry its spirit.

Campaign Launched to Electrify School Buses
U.S. PIRG wants states to use funding from multi-billion dollar Volkswagen settlements to convert the nation's school bus fleet, 95% of which is diesel-powered, to zero-emission buses to reduce children's exposure to toxic air pollution.

If You're Ignoring Transportation, You're Not Much of a Climate Mayor
Encouraging compact land use by allowing density, building near transit, and eliminating parking minimums can have a powerful effect on the emissions a city generates.

Trees Are Worth the Investment
Trees improve cities by controlling temperature, absorbing water and carbon dioxide, and adding beauty.

Formerly Redlined Denver Neighborhoods Are Now Gentrification Hotspots
Prices remain depressed in most formerly redlined neighborhoods, but several such areas in Denver now boast higher home values than the city as a whole.

On the Do's and Don'ts of Housing Policy
Brookings has put together nine rules for more cohesive and effective housing policy, despite federalism's tendency to create near-infinite local variety.

Friday Funny: I'll Do Anything to Solve Homelessness, But I Won't Do That
A satirical post for McSweeney's about the typical approach to the country's growing number of homeless brought to mind a famous song by Meat Loaf.

Buses Are Under Threat, and Cities With Them
Buses are often the best tool for making a dynamic, equitable city, but they're in a period of decline that shouldn't be allowed to become a death spiral.

Insurance Institute: Pedestrian Fatalities Jump 46 Percent from 2009
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released a study on May 8 that attributes the increased number of pedestrians killed in part to road design that allows for higher speeds, fewer intersections and pedestrian crossings and more SUVs.

6 Ways Big Box Stores Harm Communities
A compendium of big box dissent.
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