United States

The Senate transportation spending bill, signed last week, contains a provision requiring Amtrak to allow guns on its trains or lose its funding.

October 28, 2009 - The Hill

Forbes Magazine jumps into the fray once again with their list of "America's Safest Cities." Violent crime, workplace deaths, fatal crashes and natural disasters are all a part of the data considered.

October 28, 2009 - Forbes

A collection of non-profits working with HUD is promising to spend $4 billion on updating affordable housing across the country to be more sustainable.

October 27, 2009 - Grist

GOOD Magazine highlights designer Michael McDaniel's Reaction Housing System, a temporary shelter that can be stacked up and loaded onto a flatbed 20 at a time.

October 27, 2009 - GOOD Magazine

The National Academy of Science has released a report showing that health effects from burning fossil fuels cost the economy about $120 billion a year. Global warming was not included due to uncertainty, so it's focused mostly on air pollution.

October 27, 2009 - The New York Times - Environment

So says William Schroeer the State Policy Director at Smart Growth America, speaking at the High Speed Rail Conference in D.C. last weekend.

October 27, 2009 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

Jacobs' ideas about urban planning bumped her to the top of her Top Urban Thinkers list, but economists are turning to her other books to rethink local economies.

October 26, 2009 - Miller-McCune

What does Main Street America look like today? A journalist, a public radio producer, and two Harvard PhD students set out to visit actual Main Streets across the country to find out.

October 26, 2009 - WorldChanging

"Cash for Clunkers" was upside-down and wrong-headed, rewarding bad behavior rather than punishing it, says Libertarian Richard A. Epstein.

October 26, 2009 - Forbes

American cities are struggling to figure out how to transition formerly industrial areas to become vibrant and successful parts of the city once again. Neal Peirce says they should look to Barcelona, which accomplished it ten years ago.

October 26, 2009 - Citiwire

PG&E CEO Peter Darbee says that it wouldn't take very many all-electric cars to create a serious drain on local power generators.

October 25, 2009 - CNET

The problems facing urban America can be exemplified by looking at the city of Las Vegas, according to this piece from the Brookings Institution's Mark Muro.

October 25, 2009 - Citiwire

The federal government has dedicated $8 billion to high speed rail projects. But with $50 billion worth of proposals, the challenge lies in how best to divide the funds.

October 24, 2009 - The New York Times

A Stanford professor and a UC Davis researcher say we could make the switch to 100% renewable energy by 2030... if we really want to.

October 22, 2009 - Fast Company

The New York Times Automobiles Section discusses the growing population of Americans living car-free.

October 22, 2009 - The New York Times

Bicycle commuting increased 43% in the U.S. from 2000 to 2008. And as commuters get used to having their trusty bike to get around, more business travelers are taking their ride with them.

October 22, 2009 - New York Times

Cohousing, which is cooperatively-managed but independently-owned housing, is gaining popularity in the Northwest. A new cohousing project in Portland just opened its doors last weekend.

October 22, 2009 - Northwest Hub

The New York Times examines a handful of places in the US embracing zero-waste policies, how they're doing it, and what challenges lie ahead.

October 22, 2009 - The New York Times

Global corporations like Frito Lay and Barnes and Noble are attempting to co-opt the word 'local' into their branding.

October 21, 2009 - Utne Reader

A new report shows a dramatic trend in homelessness: increasing numbers of former homeowners left with nowhere to live after foreclosure are turning to homeless shelters.

October 21, 2009 - The New York Times