United States

Hipsters Flee as Invasion of the Baby Boomers Picks Up Speed
In the hip neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Seattle, and Denver, a silver tsunami is joining, and often forcing out, tattooed and mustachioed Millennials, as retiring Baby Boomers increasingly embrace urban living.
Friday Funny: America's Most Clueless Transportation Officials
Streetsblog is running a humorous, and sadly disturbing, competition to find the most moronic statements uttered by state and local transportation officials. Meet North America's "Motor Mouths".

What's Behind the Decline in Young Drivers?
The results of a recent survey indicate the primary reasons for the steady decline in the number of young Americans getting drivers' licenses. Hint: the top reason isn't that it costs too much to own a car.
Are Stadiums Akin to Museums and Libraries?
As D.C. debates the value of subsidizing the construction of a soccer stadium on a site in Buzzard Point, Dan Malouff argues that such facilities should be judged as cultural amenities, rather than business investments.
Obama Announces Housing Market Reforms, But for Some He Missed the Mark
In a speech yesterday, President Obama announced his long-awaited proposals for reforming America's housing and mortgage markets in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Observers criticized his mixed message on renting and homeownership.
Does Praise for Metropolitan Revolution Overlook Plight of Urban Poor?
In a recent column in The Times, Thomas Friedman exalted America's metropolitan revolution. But in cities like Chicago, the 'most exciting innovations in governance' have failed to improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of residents.
New Transportation Secretary Takes Aim at Rise in Pedestrian Fatalities
At the same time that vehicular fatalities have ridden a decade-long decline in the U.S., a troubling trend has seen pedestrian fatalities increase. A $2 million U.S. DOT grant program will target 22 cities with acute pedestrian safety problems.
Significant Victory Reported In Fight Against Childhood Obesity
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a 'broad decline' in childhood obesity rates among poor children in the United States. Could the country be turning a corner in its battle against childhood obesity?

Bemoan Atlanta, as Well as Detroit, Writes Columnist
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman looks at two great American cities, one losing population for decades and now filed for bankruptcy, the other growing rapidly but through sprawl, not smart growth. Yet Atlanta suffers lower social mobility.
The Unequal States of America
Inequality is alive, well, and growing in the U.S. As President Obama indicated in a speech last week, it's a problem the country must address. First, says Eduardo Porter, will need to articulate the problem to build the consensus needed to solve it.
Republicans Back Urgent Climate Action
Four former EPA heads in Republican administrations, from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush, have penned an op-ed in The Times calling on members of all parties to support President Obama's recent climate initiatives and do more to curtail warming.

Ranking America's Top College Towns
For its fourth annual list of the best college towns in America, Livability looked beyond the experiences of students to the relationship between colleges and the surrounding community, and to opportunities for the former to transition to the latter.
Interstate Tolling, the Third Rail of Transportation User Fees, Finds Fans
Discussion on increasing user fee revenue has centered on increasing and/or indexing the gas tax and applying VMT fees. Now some are pushing a return of the original user fee - road tolls applied by states or regions on interstate highways.
Cities Lead a New Push to Reduce Urban Poverty
Recent reports have documented an alarming rise in poverty levels across America. With the federal government cutting funding for social programs serving the poor, cities are stepping into the void by creating anti-poverty centers.

7 Ways Portland Is Better Than Your City
On a recent trip to Portland, land use attorney Bill Adams couldn't help but make comparisons to redevelopment efforts elsewhere. He found 7 tangible areas in which Portland shines through its copious clouds.
Redesigning American Cities for Less Driving
This 16-minute radio interview of Forbes writer Micheline Maynard and Cornell urban planning professor Michael Manville explores how and why to redesign cities to make them less auto-dependent to match reduced driving.
House Backs Away from Draconian Transportation and Housing Spending Cuts
A controversial House bill that proposed drastic spending cuts to Transportation and Housing programs was pulled from the floor yesterday after Republicans balked at supporting the cuts outlined in Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) budget.
New EPA Head Vows to Make Climate Change the Agency's Top Priority
After a long confirmation delay, Gina McCarthy, the new head of the U.S. Environmental Protections Agency, has wasted little time wading into the controversy over the agency's (and administration's) role in addressing climate change.
Highway Trust Fund Insolvency 201: Impact on States
Ryan Holeywell writes a follow-up to the meeting of a House Transportation subcommittee on the impending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund - looking at it from the states' perspective rather than from Capitol Hill's. They have a lot at stake.
Beyond the Pritzker: On the Status of Women in Architecture
Nancy Levinson, editor of Places Journal, argues that it's time for feminist architects to engage the larger sphere of political activism with concrete objectives.
Pagination
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Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
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