United States
Quitting Diesel is Good for Your Health
Diane Bailey reports on a new study's findings linking diesel exhaust to lung cancer. The findings have sparked concern for people who live in large cities with high levels of diesel pollution.
The Unequal Cities of America
Richard Florida explores differing measures of inequality, considering both wage inequality and income inequality in American metropolitan cities.
A Paean For Rural America and Its Working Landscape
Lee Epstein and Kaid Benfield pen a post on the importance of working rural landscapes to the sustainability agenda, which seems to be increasingly overlooked by smart growth advocates.
Learn To Love The Bus
It may not be sexy and it may not be fast, but the time has come to acknowledge the key role that the much maligned form of public transit will have in solving cities’ mobility woes, writes Will Doig.
Tactical Urbanism Comes of Age
Nate Berg reports on the recent release of the "official" guide to tactical urbanism, Tactical Urbanism 2: Short-Term Action, Long Term Change, authored by Mike Lydon.
Why the "Other" Housing Market is Booming
With the consistent news about declining home values and stagnating sales, its easy to forget that, in effect, there are two housing markets in the U.S. - those for owners and those for renters. Guess which one is booming.
Driving out one Nuisance With Another
The American Society of Landscape Architects examines the implications of squeezing teens out of the public sphere.
New Funding is Needed as the Highway Trust Fund Nears Empty
As the Highway Trust Fund goes bankrupt, the editors of Bloomberg suggest new ways to finance transportation infrastructure that integrates new technology, increasing public-private associations and loosening the funding framework itself.
America's Top Five Real Estate Markets
Writing for Urban Land, Trisha Riggs looks at the country's top markets for real estate based on ULI's Emerging Trends Americas report.
What's Wrong with the "Green" Design Revolution
In an interview with the British inventor James Dyson, Ben Schiller discusses the future of engineering and design in America and the fallacies behind much "green" design.
Friday Funny: Introducing the Cast of Your Neighborhood Email List
Emily Badger has produced a thoroughly researched article on "The 20 Characters You'll Meet on Every Neighborhood Email List." We think you might recognize a few of these folks.
Has Increased Urbanism Initiated A Decline In American Driving?
Eric Jaffe discusses new charts released last week that purport to show the continued decline of vehicle-miles traveled in the United States, and wonders if increased urbanism can be credited as the cause.
Where Are Baby Boomers Going to Spend Their Golden Years?
John K. McIlwain breaks down the recent explosion in the "65-or-better" population – and what it means for urban regions.
Water Infrastructure Takes Center Stage at House and Senate Hearings
Jason Jordan reports on House and Senate subcommittee hearings this week that focused on water infrastructure concerns and a proposed new program to better address funding and financing options.
Is the Shrinking Middle Class Driving the Growth in Home Size?
Lloyd Alter weighs in on the debate over the shrinking, or growing, size of American homes, seeing the influence of affluent homebuyers as driving an increase in size.
Changing the Paradigm of Urban Development
Jason Kambitsis speaks with Bruce Katz, the founding director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, about his advocacy for taking a fundamentally different approach to urban development based on economic diversification.
An Interactive Database of Location-Specific Costs Demonstrates Its Value
Kaid Benfield reports on the Chicago-based Center for Neighborhood Technology's robust, interactive Housing + Transportation Affordability Index, a fantastic resource for location-specific information, including housing and transportation costs.
Uncertainty Dominates House's Next Step in Transportation Reauthorization
The House is working to amend its transportation bill, but what takes its place is far from certain. Burgess Everett reports on speculation that the GOP is aiming to shorten the length to two years, and make a host of other changes.
Using Artistic Exploration to Guide Planning Processes
Rebecca Sanborn Stone profiles several innovative communities that are utilizing citizen-guided art projects to communicate values and ideas, break down barriers, and guide planning efforts.
Tapping into the Rental Market with Foreclosed Homes
In an effort to stabilize neighborhoods and reduce the glut of foreclosures in the marketplace, Fannie Mae is beginning to sell foreclosed properties in bulk to investors to test the market for rental homes, write Alan Zibel and Nick Timiraos.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
