United States

What's not known is how many of the homes are investments, or primary or secondary residences, but it's clear that the foreclosure rate for mortgages exceeding $1million is higher than for lower priced homes, according to the New York Times analysis.

July 11, 2010 - The New York Times - Economy

Conrad deFiebre sums up the benefits of living in a walkable neighborhood, from improved health to improved wealth, both via higher property values and less of hard-earned dollars paid out to oil and car companies.

July 11, 2010 - Twin Cities Daily Planet

The Obama administration is trying to rein in suburban sprawl. But is it any match for 70 years of unsustainable development?

July 10, 2010 - The American Prospect

USA Today does some interesting analysis of the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and comes to some startling conclusions about how historically low it is when considered with vehicle miles driven and per capita income.

July 10, 2010 - USA Today

A total of 1.6 million people experienced homelessness last year alone. President Obama has decided to attempt to remedy this sobering fact with the new Interagency Council on Homelessness' (USICH) "Opening Doors" plan.

July 9, 2010 - The Daily Caller

Melissa Lafsky asks if citizen initiative facilities like '311' and 'fixmystreet' should be expanded into an "operating system" for cities.

July 9, 2010 - The Infrastructurist

The Project for Public Spaces has begun to publicize improvements it has made to main streets across the country with a new web feature, reports Kaid Benfield.

July 9, 2010 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Fast Company reports on a branding company that is working to get biking out of the "hipster ghetto" and into the mainstream.

July 9, 2010 - Fast Company

The relationship between agriculture and cities is becoming increasingly important. Daniel Nairn suggests building "garden blocks" within cities to meet community food needs.

July 9, 2010 - Grist

Whitehouse.gov held a live online event on July 15th at 2pm EDT/11am PDT on sustainable communities. All of the questions were submitted and chosen by Planetizen readers.

July 8, 2010 - Tim Halbur

Small movie theaters, long thought dead, are having a comeback as vital centers in small towns across the country.

July 8, 2010 - The Infrastructurist

2,300 auto dealerships have closed in the U.S. since 2009. 649 of those have been redeveloped, becoming lumberyards, schools, chain drug stores, and groceries.

July 6, 2010 - The New York Times

Naming Richard Florida, Carol Coletta and ULI as pro-urban forces, Joel Kotkin accuses them of having "wishful thinking" in regards to the back-to-the-city movement. Kotkin says people want single-family homes, not condos.

July 6, 2010 - The Wall St. Journal

The Washington Post's Ezra Klein suggests readers watch this 20-minute TED video featuring Georgia Tech's Ellen Dunham Jones, author of "Retrofitting Suburbia." Jones talks to the importance of making suburbs greener by retrofitting to urbanize them.

July 6, 2010 - Washington Post: Ezra Klein

Once a major part of cities transportation networks, streetcars have over the last half a century devolved into mere tourist attractions and novelties. But the pendulum may be swinging back.

July 6, 2010 - Governing

Cities are falling over themselves to try to convince basketball superstar Lebron James that he should pick their NBA franchise as his new team.

July 5, 2010 - Next American City

New figures from the National Association of Realtors show that the number of new homes being built and the number of homes being sold were both down during May.

July 3, 2010 - The New York Times

The Infrastructurist reports on a recent panel about smart grid technology -- and its awkward timing right after a major smart grid plan was shot down by the Maryland Public Service Commission.

July 1, 2010 - The Infrastructurist

Few expected this Republican in the Obama cabinet to cause such a stir. Yet, from his high speed rail advocacy to campaigning for road safety ("just say no to texting") to pushing livable communities, 64-year-old Ray LaHood has changed D.O.T.

July 1, 2010 - The Washington Post: Breaking News Blog

The Cities of Service coalition, a new initiative funded through Rockefeller Foundation grants, aims to facilitate local volunteer-based efforts to meet community needs.

July 1, 2010 - Huffington Post