United States

Millennials are moving to cities around the country in era-defining numbers but so far, Generation X and Baby Boomers are mostly staying put. Is the millennial in-migration to cities a flash in the pan?

February 25, 2014 - Rooflines

An intrepid Reddit user has produced a striking visualization for the economic importance of the country’s urban areas by splitting the nation’s GDP into two—the top 50 percent and the lower 50 percent.

February 24, 2014 - The Washington Post - The Fix

A new report by Brookings confirms that “big cities remain more unequal places by income than the rest of the country.” Where is the gap between wealth and poverty the greatest?

February 24, 2014 - Brookings

Ernest Moniz weighs-in on the exponential, and at times, explosive (literally) growth of moving crude oil by rail (CBR). His main point: pipelines are safer than rail. Science magazine editor Marcia McNutt points to pipelines' environmental benefits.

February 24, 2014 - Capital

Shipping container houses are all the rage right now. So why not a shipping container farm?

February 23, 2014 - Grist

The federal government is notorious for putting off road improvements. The good news? If driverless cars become a reality, they can keep putting them off—forever.

February 23, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

A recent report from the National Housing Conference has moderately good news about the housing market—in many states, the number of working households “severely cost-burdened” by the cost of housing dipped slightly in 2012.

February 21, 2014 - Governing

Recent reports have revealed weaknesses in the big box business model. Will Wal-Mart’s new urban stores be as successful as its outdated model?

February 21, 2014 - PlannersWeb

As we've noted numerous times, the Highway Trust Fund will become insolvent around the end of the fiscal year - Sept. 30, just when MAP-21, the transportation authorization bill, expires. We were wrong. The new HTF "ticker" explains the bad news.

February 20, 2014 - Politico Morning Transportation

A chronicle of the evolution of popular planning, drawn from data collected from the long history of Planetizen as a forum for discussion and reporting.

February 20, 2014 - Ken Steif

Over strong objections from some auto and truck manufacturers, President Obama directed EPA to develop new fuel efficiency regulations for medium and heavy-duty trucks by March 2016 as part of his administration's effort to reduce carbon emissions.

February 19, 2014 - The New York Times - Politics

More than 80 communities adopted complete streets policies in 2013, bringing the national total to 610 jurisdictions with such policies. The National Complete Streets Coalition examined the newest programs for the best examples.

February 19, 2014 - Smart Growth America

Outdated and onerous regulations, particularly those found in zoning ordinances, are affecting the availability of housing choice. What can communities do to expand their hosing stock? C.J. Gabbe explains.

February 19, 2014 - Community Builders

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was signed into law on February 17, 2009, less than a month into President Obama's first term. The Council of Economic Advisers recently presented its final quarterly report on ARRA's impacts.

February 18, 2014 - WhiteHouse.gov

So much for switching from diesel fuel to natural gas to protect the environment. A new report concludes that it is best to stick with oil-based fuels because methane leakage from natural gas is much greater than currently estimated.

February 18, 2014 - The New York Times - U.S.

Locality (a self-described "local business search site") has ranked the cost of living for the “yuppie” lifestyle in every American city. It’s no surprise that San Francisco tops the list, but how do 29 cities rank on the "Yuppie Price Index"?

February 18, 2014 - Locality

The Feb. 2 spill of coal ash slurry from a Duke Energy containment pond has taken a new turn with a federal grand jury issuing subpoenas for records from both Duke Energy and the state environmental regulator.

February 17, 2014 - The Charlotte Observer

A recent study by the Pew Research Center shows that despite the increasing use of tablets and e-readers, Americans still love books and still rely on libraries as a central cultural institution.

February 16, 2014 - Pew Research Center

Tired of not closing deals to preserve affordable housing due to delays in public financing, the nonprofit Housing Partnership Network created a real estate investment trust. The results have been "game changing."

February 16, 2014 - NPR

A side-by side-comparison of several cities’ snow routes reveals the inherent logic (or lack thereof) of their transportation infrastructure.

February 15, 2014 - Atlantic Cities