United States

Inspired by three books published in the last year that help to elucidate the role of cities and density in making people and countries richer, Ezra Klein compiles some lessons for economic development in the United States.

March 13, 2012 - The Washington Post

Today, Gallup Wellbeing has released new findings on community satisfaction and optimism, evaluating 190 U.S. metro areas based on how residents feel about where they live and where their community is headed.

March 13, 2012 - Gallup Wellbeing

Jeffrey Spivak reports on the federal government's pioneering efforts in net-zero building design and construction.

March 12, 2012 - Planning

A new study released today by the American Public Transportation Association shows that public transportation ridership across the United States increased by 2.31% in 2011 over the previous year, rising to the second highest level since 1957.

March 12, 2012 - USA Today

Grist has asked its readers to help it compile some of the country's "most craptastic urban rebranding efforts ever." And boy have they delivered.

March 12, 2012 - Grist

In this second and final look at how to achieve Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich's promise of $2.50 gas, Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal reports on a subsidy strategy discussed in The Atlantic. Earlier he presented a price controls approach.

March 11, 2012 - Marketplace (American Public Media)

Eric Jaffe interviews Jarrett Walker, the author of a new, nonpartisan treatise on thinking rationally about transit.

March 11, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Fortune has re-published a provocative essay by Jane Jacobs, originally published in the magazine in 1958, as large scale urban renewal projects were taking off in cities across the country.

March 10, 2012 - CNN/Money

Jason Jordan reports on the good news from Capitol Hill, as the Senate has agreed on a path forward to end the amendment process and pass its 2-year, $109 billion surface transportation authorization bill next week.

March 9, 2012 - APA Policy News

Mimi Zeiger pens a contrarian's take on the growing popularity of DIY urbanism, noting the danger in what she deems a conservative urban-planning position.

March 9, 2012 - LAB|log

Matt Bevilacqua reports on the new wind in manufacturing's sails.

March 9, 2012 - Next American City

Wage inequality does not tell the whole picture of the growing income inequality in the United States, writes Richard Florida, who examines the myriad other factors that may be driving this trend.

March 8, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Here is a list you presumably do not want to find your city on: the most obese metro areas in the country. Dan Witters breaks down the results that Gallup has recently released as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

March 8, 2012 - Gallup Wellbeing

The short answer is yes, according to this NPR report that includes interviews with energy experts. The boom in shale fracking for oil and natural gas and the zeal of small energy companies is to credit. But UC Berkeley's Don Kammen has his doubts.

March 7, 2012 - NPR

Giovanna Borasi & Mirko Zardini examine the state of pervasive anxiety afflicting the urban populations of the West and how "medicalization" and an ambition for total well-being are effecting architecture and urban planning.

March 7, 2012 - Places

Chuck Wolfe outlines the importance of soundscapes to cities past, present and future, and describes efforts to both document urban sounds and use sound as a planning tool.

March 7, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

A much anticipated cloture vote on the Senate's proposed two-year transportation bill once again failed to win enough votes on Tuesday. Better news may be on the horizon however, reports Ed O'Keefe.

March 7, 2012 - The Washington Post

Zipcar has released the results of their first Future Metropolis Index, which the company commissioned to recognize cities that demonstrate smart urban planning and policymaking, reports Ariel Schwartz.

March 6, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Mark Bergen, with the help of David Schleicher, argues that zoning policies are to blame for slowing development and escalating rental costs in cities across the country.

March 6, 2012 - Forbes

Several posts over the last couple of weeks build on the growing body of work illuminating the economic, physical, and social damage caused by urban highways.

March 6, 2012 - Better Cities & Towns