United States

While the housing market showed signs of improvement last year, economists are now confident that a recovery is underway. Housing currently adds 13 percent to the nation's economic growth, but is this a good thing?

February 1, 2013 - Urban Land Institute

Experts have disagreed about the net effect of America's increasing clustering of highly skilled and affluent citizens in a relatively small number of metro areas. Richard Florida examines who benefits and who loses from this process.

January 31, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

With Ray LaHood stepping down as Transportation Secretary, is it Antonio Villaraigosa's time? The Los Angeles mayor is termed-out in June and Obama needs a Latino in the Cabinet. And can he move the sustainable communities ball forward for Obama?

January 31, 2013 - California Planning & Development Reort

In the wake of yesterday's surprisingly unsurprising announcement that U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is stepping down, several reporters who focus on transportation issues have taken stock of his tenure.

January 30, 2013 - Transportation Nation

Kaid Benfield spotlights an innovative federal program that is "not very well known but deserves to be." The "Greening America’s Capitals" program aims to make America's state capitals showpieces for green infrastructure and green building practices.

January 30, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard

Writing in The Atlantic Cities, Chuck Wolfe provides ten illustrated examples of enjoyable environments that reflect an evolving recognition for the qualitative aspects of the urban experience.

January 30, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

States with Amtrak routes less than 750 miles (excludes lines within Northeast Corridor) will need to subsidize the budget shortfalls - the difference between fares and operating costs, or lose the route. States may cut some lines to prop-up others.

January 30, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Driven by "the fantasy of the almost-reality," hobbyist mapmaker Andrew Lynch gives new life to plans that never happened with hypothetical maps of the city that almost was.

January 30, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced his pending resignation today - he will leave when a replacement has been confirmed, thus reversing an earlier, informal announcement he had made during an inauguration party on Jan. 21.

January 29, 2013 - Politico

As Barack Obama takes the oath of office for his second term, Places editor Nancy Levinson argues for an intensified political agenda for architects and urban designers.

January 27, 2013 - Places Journal

Established eight years ago by a bipartisan coalition of Northeast and mid-Atlantic governors, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative was the first cap-and-trade system established in the U.S. It now faces an uncertain future.

January 26, 2013 - The New York Times

Ending speculation as to whether he would stay or announce his resignation as many in Obama's cabinet have done, and who would replace him should he depart, Ray LaHood announced informally he would stay on as Secretary of the Dept. of Transportation.

January 26, 2013 - Bloomberg News

William Fulton examines the likely outcome of a takings case that went before the U.S. Supreme Court last week. Oral arguments seemed to indicate the justices were leaning towards a surprising outcome.

January 24, 2013 - California Planning & Development Report

Part bike, part car, part solar power, part human power - the Elf is a pedal-powered mini-car that just finished a "massively successful" Kickstarter drive and could be coming to a street near you very soon.

January 22, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Matt Bevilacqua found much to cheer in the 'renewed focus on urbancentric topics' that President Obama delivered in his second inaugural address. Climate change, immigration, and inequality were among the speech's primary topics.

January 22, 2013 - Next City

"America is renewing itself from the bottom up." That is the premise underlying the second annual “Innovations to Watch” list just released by The Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program and The Rockefeller Foundation.

January 20, 2013 - Brookings

So said Thomas Donohue, CEO of the world's largest business organization, in calling for raising the gas tax at a press conference following the annual State of American Business address to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

January 20, 2013 - Governing

Renting out luxury homes has become an attractive choice in today's housing market. High-end renters get many of the benefits of owning a home, with greater built-in flexibility, and without the financial risk.

January 19, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

The conservative commentator has proposed a $2 billion "city-theme park hybrid" that "would bring several of Glenn’s seemingly disconnected projects into one place." You'll be surprised at the similarities with certain Smart Growth principles.

January 18, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

With yesterday's announcement that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will soon step down, the three top environmental posts in the federal government are waiting to be filled. The vacancies are further muddling the administration's second term agenda.

January 17, 2013 - The Washington Post