United States

After much anticipation, Richard Florida has published his extremely scientific (no joke) 2012 Halloween Index, which identifies "the metros best primed for trick-or-treating and Halloween revelry."

October 31, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Richard Florida warns about America's increasing “economic Balkanization”: a shrinking working class and the attendant swelling of low-wage service sector employees and the unemployed on the one hand, and the prosperous creative class on the other.

October 31, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Is the adoption of cargo bikes the next step in America's evolution towards a European model of bikeability?

October 31, 2012 - Next American City

Hurricane Sandy demonstrates that the impacts of climate change -- rising sea levels and more extreme weather patterns -- mean that the future of America's coastal cities is in doubt.

October 30, 2012 - The Nation

With supporting evidence from a USA TODAY analysis, Thomas Frank examines the LEED points system and finds that certification, and the tax breaks and other rewards that go with it, can be easily obtained without proven environmental impact.

October 30, 2012 - USA Today

Sommer Mathis writes about the largest planned shutdown ever of train and bus service in the U.S. as New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. cancel service on the eve of Hurricane Sandy's arrival along the mid-Atlantic seaboard.

October 29, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

For the next few days, America's eyes will be on the East Coast, where a historic storm is already making its presence felt. Quartz has posted a list of webcams to provide you with a first-hand experience of the storm, from the safety of your desk.

October 29, 2012 - Quartz

On the eve of landfall of Hurricane Sandy, Matthew Yglesias recalls Mitt Romney's 2011 response to a GOP primary debate question in which he called federal disaster relief spending "immoral."

October 29, 2012 - Slate.com

With the federal government unable to agree on much of anything, state and local taxpayers are bearing the burden for repairing and replacing America's aging infrastructure says a new report from Standard & Poor’s Rating Services.

October 29, 2012 - The Washington Post

An informative infographic produced by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation illustrates the role of walkable, bikeable, and transit-oriented communities in producing healthier populations.

October 28, 2012 - New Public Health

Surging oil and natural gas production has transformed the domestic energy paradigm. With the U.S. on track to replace Saudi Arabia as the world's largest oil producer, will the U.S finally meet President Nixon's 1973 goal of 'energy independence'?

October 28, 2012 - NPR Morning Edition

Economists see America's recovering housing market as a positive indication of the country's economic health. But according to a new study, rising home prices "decrease income mobility and ultimately hurt the U.S. economy," reports Nicole Goodkind.

October 27, 2012 - CNBC

Despite significant investment in transit infrastructure, and renewed interest in downtowns and walkable neighborhoods, new data shows that gains in transit commute mode share have been hard to come by in America’s largest cities, says Kaid Benfield.

October 27, 2012 - Switchboard

This week, NACTO released a preview of its Urban Street Design Guidebook, a document meant to assist local governments in designing their streets on the principle that they're spaces for people and commerce as well as arteries for traffic.

October 25, 2012 - Next American City

"Since the beginning of 2011, 180 bills restricting voting and voter registration have been introduced in 41 states. Over 70% of the electoral votes needed to win the 2012 Presidential election will come from states with new restrictive voting laws."

October 25, 2012 - Shelterforce Magazine

A vast expanse of prairies and grasslands, the Great Plains have long been considered a barren wasteland with little potential for growth. A new report by Joel Kotkin, Praxis Strategy Group, and Kevin Mulligan of Texas Tech claims otherwise.

October 25, 2012 - New Geography

Justin Gillis discusses the controversy over President Obama's and Governor Romney's decision to skirt the topic of climate change during the presidential debates.

October 25, 2012 - The New York Times

National Journal engaged several experts on the state of transportation infrastructure. Both Ken Orski and Rep. Earl Blumenhauer examine different aspects of the 'Infrastructure Deficit". What can we expect to see in the next four years?

October 24, 2012 - National Journal

Chuck Raasch looks at how combining services can help local governments "to capitalize on the economics of scale and offset declining revenue since the Great Recession."

October 23, 2012 - USA Today

Recent studies show that upwards of 77% of Millennials are opting to live in urban areas. The impact on the local economy will be huge, IF urban planners rethink how we build our downtowns.

October 23, 2012 - ICIC Inner City Exchange