United States

Creative placemaking, or investing in arts and culture as a way to improve quality of place and stimulate vibrancy, is getting a new boost as ArtPlace announces another round of funding.

September 4, 2012 - ArtPlace

The new funding criteria established for the expansion of the U.S. Department of Transportation's popular TIFIA loan program may make it easier for projects such as the infamous "bridge to nowhere" to secure financing.

September 3, 2012 - The Fiscal Times

To preserve the spread of urban gardening, activists are beginning to map and document the many haphazard community gardens to gain recognition from landlords and city officials in hopes of warding off bulldozers.

September 3, 2012 - Grist

While it might seem like the Agenda 21 conspiracy theorists have arisen quite quickly out of the murky backwaters of the Republican party, Llewellyn Hinkes-Jones traces the lengthy enti-environmentalist roots of the movement.

September 2, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

An expanding number of cities across the U.S. are looking to attract urban casinos, with the hope that further development and money (tax revenues to fill drained city coffers) will follow.

September 2, 2012 - Next American City

If Romney/Ryan win in November, we may know what to expect in terms of national transportation spending if they were to follow the Republican platform adopted on Aug. 28. In terms of increasing transportation revenue, it may not differ from Obama's.

September 1, 2012 - The Hill's Transportation Blog

A new report by the Brookings Institution shows that unemployment in America's cities is being exacerbated by a lack of higher-educated workers.

September 1, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Howard Blackson explains the five elements ("five Cs") necessary for planning resilient and lively neighborhoods - complete, compact, connected, complex, and convivial.

August 31, 2012 - Better! Cities & Towns

What the U.S. does with twenty-five workers, Spain does with nine; 'work rules' are part of the problem when it comes to the lack of productivity and high costs of America's regional rail systems.

August 31, 2012 - Bloomberg

With President Obama adopting historic fuel efficiency regulations for motor vehicles, it may be helpful to hear from opponents of the regulatory approach, not only from the President’s political opponents but also the venerable Brookings Institution

August 31, 2012 - US News & World Report

Pet ownership in the U.S. continues to hit record levels, and with the increasing interest in city living the number (and variety of designs) of dog runs in city parks has increased. Designers are utilizing a dog's-eye-view to serve their clients.

August 30, 2012 - Metropolis Mag

The official G.O.P. platform approved at the party's convention on Tuesday included tough language on U.N. Agenda 21, decrying it as "erosive of American sovereignty," reports Leslie Kaufman.

August 30, 2012 - The New York Times

The long-awaited recovery of America's housing market, after six years of decline, seems to be gaining traction, with the latest data indicating increasing prices in hard-hit cities like Miami, Atlanta, and Detroit.

August 29, 2012 - The New York Times

In an age of increasingly distracted drivers, it's getting ever more hazardous to ply America's urban roads. The eighth annual “America’s Best Drivers Report,” issued by Allstate Insurance, explores exactly which cities are the most dangerous.

August 29, 2012 - Forbes

Two Atlantic editors investigate why the younger generation is not only driving less but also less likely to purchase homes than their baby boomer parents. Is it temporary, a result of a bad economy, or are these behaviors a permanent shift?

August 29, 2012 - The Atlantic (Magazine)

In Amanda Erickson's explanation of the history of urban planning, the profession as conceived at the start of the 20th century confronted a choice between creating beautiful people or beautiful cities. Why couldn't planners have created both?

August 29, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Charlie Gardner parses the data on mean commuting times recently released as part of the 2010 ACS estimates for metropolitan statistical areas, and wonders what the maximum mean travel time suggests for the urban form of America's cities.

August 29, 2012 - Old Urbanist

Intercity buses face new regulations as they continue to expand their services and compete for ridership, reports Susan Stellin.

August 29, 2012 - The New York Times

In an opinion piece for Bloomberg View, Edward Glaeser argues that the Army Corps of Engineers' influence on development in local communities is too far-reaching.

August 28, 2012 - Bloomberg

By requiring the U.S. auto fleet to average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, the standards announced today by the Obama administration will significantly cut U.S. oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, reports Juliet Eilperin.

August 28, 2012 - The Washington Post