United States
United States Overtakes Saudi Arabia as World's #1 Oil Producer
Bloomberg News shares news of a report showing that the surge in shale oil production has made the United States the top oil and natural gas liquids producer in the first quarter of 2014 and discusses its impact on domestic and global oil prices.
Lac-Mégantic One Year Later
July 6, 2014 marks the one-year anniversary of North America's most catastrophic energy calamity when a runaway oil unit train carrying Bakken crude exploded in this small Quebec town killing 47 people and incinerating ten blocks of its downtown.
Heritage Action on Highway Trust Fund: There is No Crisis
Is Heritage Action in a state of denial? Keith Laing, The Hill's transportation reporter, reviews a recent blog from the powerful conservative group claiming that spending will decrease only 7% at most, thus no reason to increase taxes or spending.
Study: Diverse Neighborhoods Support Mental Health for the Elderly
A study published in Health & Place finds that those seeking good mental health well into their golden years should look to diverse neighborhoods rather than gated communities.

Operate Parks Like a Business
Mindy Craig makes the case for an evolution in the management of parks in an era of shrinking general fund allocations.
New Census Data Shows the Country's Age
Christopher Ingraham breaks down recent data from the U.S. Census that shows which counties are getting younger and which are getting older.
America the Brewery-ful
Many communities around the country have welcomed breweries for their economic development and placemaking potential. Recent data from the U.S. Economic Census shows just how much the beer industry is growing.
Federal Transportation Funds to Decrease August 1
U.S. Treasury Secretary Anthony Foxx warned State DOT officials in a July 1 letter that due to declining funds in the highway account of the Highway Trust Fund, he will implement a new reimbursement policy that may cause some states to halt projects.
U.S. Supreme Court Approves California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard
A key regulation in California's war on global warming emissions withstood a major court challenge by the energy industry—both oil and corn ethanol—when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear their challenge to an Appeals Court ruling on June 30.
Liberals More Likely to Use Public Transit
Digging further into a recent report from the Pew Research Center that finds growing political polarization among Americans, Emily Badger finds use of public transit runs along ideological lines.
Transparency about Hazardous Oil Shipments Possible After All
After the Federal Railroad Administration issued an emergency order on May 7 that Bakken information about oil shipments be shared with appropriate state agencies, question arose about whether that information could be shared with the public.

Census Data: Millennials Choosing the Suburbs; Babies Booming in Big Cities
Jed Kolko analyzes 2013 population estimates by age group for counties—the U.S. Census released the data late last week.
Study Ranks Life Sciences Industry Clusters
Lauren K. Ohnesorge shares the results of a recent study that ranks the strength of the life sciences industry in the nation's metropolitan areas. Boston leads the list.

Study: Millennials Will Soon Boost the Housing Industry
Although the recession disrupted household creation by Millennials, a new study from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies suggests the generation will soon start to create households in large, influential numbers.
AIA Gold Medal Conferred to Julia Morgan, FAIA, at the 2014 AIA Convention
On the occasion of Julia Morgan, FAIA, AIA Gold Medal conferral, AIACC invited Sandhya Sood, AIA, to present a tribute.
New Maps Compare Travel Times by Mode
Want to know the fastest way to get where you're going? You Are Here has created a new visualization tool that shows you the fastest mode for your trip in 11 cities.

Friday Eye Candy: Historic Visualization Tracks U.S. Growth from 1790 to 1890
The visualization has something for everyone: a colorful visualization of population trends for the data geeks, a vintage look and feel for the hipsters, and the competitive aspect of comparing cities to each other for everyone else.
A Bad Year for State Transportation Funding
Compared to 2013, few states are increasing transportation spending through tax increases. Only New Hampshire and Rhode Island saw limited gas tax increases, though both were accompanied by road or bridge toll eliminations. Missouri could be next.
Biking as a Late 19th Century 'Emblem of Women's Rights'
Writing for The Atlantic, Adrienne LaFrance details how the bicycle paved the way for many liberating political advancement for women.
A PATH to Nowhere?
After it's first hearing, the PATH Act is not looking very promising to keep federal transportation reimbursements flowing to state DOTs late next month when the Highway Trust Fund is expected to approach insolvency. The one user fee was dropped.
Pagination
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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