United States

According to the AIA’s third-annual progress report on its 2030 Commitment, the number of firms signing on to the environmental program is up. At the same time, the proportion of firms reporting progress toward their goal is underwhelming.

October 27, 2013 - Ecobuilding Pulse

Originally intended for permanent farmland and open space, Davis, CA will consider whether 391 acres along its eastern edge should instead be used for a business technology park, reports Mark Anderson.

October 25, 2013 - Sacramento Business Journal

A dispute over ownership of a strip of abandoned Pacific Railroad Company line in Wyoming will test the legal underpinnings of thousands of miles of rail-trails throughout the Unites States.

October 25, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

The U.S. House of Representatives has nearly unanimously passed a new bill! While that's news in itself, the bill facilitates infrastructure improvements (water-oriented in this case), an often divisive issue.

October 25, 2013 - Governing

Bike infrastructure is often viewed with skepticism in minority neighborhoods across the U.S. Jay Walljasper looks at how to extend the benefits of biking to communities that often have fewer options for transportation and exercise.

October 24, 2013 - People for Bikes

Freed from the political constraints of holding a cabinet position, former Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood told a university audience that the increase is necessary to meet multi-modal infrastructure needs, not just road construction.

October 24, 2013 - WAMU

Though vehicular deaths have been declining across the U.S., pedestrian and cyclist deaths have risen. While intuition might say our ubiquitous cell phones are to blame, hard data has been scarce. A new study seems to support this conclusion.

October 23, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

Are you exceedingly agreeable or exceptionally conscientious? If so, there's a good chance you live in Utah or South Carolina. At least that's according to the findings of a 13-year study into American attitudes conducted by a team of researchers.

October 23, 2013 - Time

The U.S. is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. But as the landmark Mount Laurel saga illustrates, many communities object to developing such housing. Corianne Payton Scally argues that states should work harder to promote such projects.

October 23, 2013 - Rooflines

Could Virginia, the state that did away with its gasoline excise tax entirely, be the template for a new federal transportation funding system? By using multiple taxes and fees, they present an alternative to simply raising the federal gas tax.

October 23, 2013 - CQ Roll Call

No one likes to be stuck in traffic. But while empty streets may look great from behind the wheel of a car, they could signal a city in distress. A new study identifies the tipping point at which congestion becomes a drag on a city's economy.

October 22, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

New York City's Department of Transportation has officially released the second update to its Street Design Manual, providing specifics on new and forthcoming alterations to the city's streets and street furniture.

October 22, 2013 - Future Cities

For cities that want protected bike lanes but lack the expertise to implement them, the Green Lane Project is soliciting applications to offer technical help (sorry, no funding) now that the initial six recipient cities have implemented cycle tracks.

October 21, 2013 - Streetsblog Capitol Hill

A new study observes the growing economic and income divide’s impact on America’s neighborhoods. Researchers have found the proportion of Americans living in 'middle class' neighborhoods declining, while 'rich' and 'poor' neighborhoods are growing.

October 20, 2013 - The Huffington Post

Amid America's urban renaissance, increasing the supply of affordable housing has arisen as a topic of concern in several of the country's cities. The New York Times "Room for Debate" page asks eight experts to contribute their recommendations.

October 19, 2013 - The New York Times

Preliminary results from a new study suggest that Americans are willing to pay about $850 more per Walk Score point when purchasing a home.

October 19, 2013 - Market Urbanism

Suburban locales have typically lagged behind larger cities in building bike-friendly infrastructure. But the League of American Bicyclists' latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities designations indicate a sea change is happening in the suburbs.

October 18, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

People-powered street design is getting a major boost with the help of two new tools that make it easy to reimagine unsatisfactory streetscapes.

October 17, 2013 - Gizmodo

Add a list of the "Top 100 Best Places to Live" to the seemingly endless series of rankings seeking to quantify what's best and worst about our cities and states. Though the inputs have changed over the last 80 years, our desire to rank hasn't.

October 17, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

A new study by MIT researchers indicates that a greater number of premature deaths in the United States can be attributed to auto pollution than auto collisions.

October 17, 2013 - Next City