United States
Transit Funding Blooming in the Spring
Transportation Secretary LaHood announced that this spring, bus and streetcar projects will receive $280 million as part of the administration's inter-agency sustainable communities partnership.
Will War Spending Mean Less For Infrastructure?
Robert Borosage, in response to President Obama's announcement of a troop surge to Afghanistan, points out how the misallocation of resources to military efforts will mean the neglect of the nation's infrastructure.
Conservation Legislation to Expire
Conservation legislation, which could end this year, has proven to make it easier for moderate income landowners to resist the temptations of development.
Superproject Drought?
No major public works are underway in the United States, according to this piece from The New York Times. Some say the absence of major infrastructure projects may be hurting the economy.
Obama's State-Centric Urban Agenda
Some mayors say the Obama Administration's urban agenda concentrates too much power at the state level.
The Ethanol Glut
There's a glut of ethanol on the market, and the solutions to consume it are not easy. The maximum blend in gasoline is 10% before it affects the catalytic converter, and E85 can't compete with the more efficient, though more expensive, gasoline.
Local Food Movement: Armed and Loaded
Some local food activists are taking their movement to a whole new territory: urban hunting.
Preserving 'Button Parks'
Richard Louv proposes that local groups use the land trust model to create small public spaces, or what he calls "button parks."
Tax Revenues Down in 44 States
Tax revenues were down during the third quarter of 2009 in 44 states, according to a new report from the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.
The Fall of Malltopia
Mark Dery looks back at the birth and death of the mall, from Victor Gruen to the present collapse, then beyond to proposals for reusing and revitalizing mall spaces.
Mapping America's Fat
This post from Richard Florida looks at the geography of obesity in America, and relates state obesity rates to the rates of death from various diseases.
$70b in Freeway Funding Comes From Non-Users
A new study by Subsidyscope shows that between 1982 and 2007, federal highway revenue derived from non-users of the highway system has doubled.
Developer Goes Green To Make Up For Big Box History
Developer Jim Jacoby likes to joke that his move into alternative energy and mixed-use development is penance for a history of building WalMarts.
Subway Sociology
Because of the abundance of social interaction and diverse clientele, subways have long been the sites of sociological experiments to understand human behavior.
Fort Collins is Feelin' Fine
This Colorado city and four others across the nation have made early moves toward sustainability, innovation, and clean technology.
Visualizing Unemployment During the Recession
Unemployment is spreading across the country like a rash. This video tracks the changing unemployment in American counties since January 2007.
Rural America Still Leads Nation in Poverty
Despite gains in the 1990s, the last decade has seen jumps in poverty in rural areas, where rates continue to exceed the national average.
Can Free Fares Save Public Transit?
With 100 percent subsidies, transit agencies could drop the pretense of being businesses and serve many more people -- or so proponents say. Agencies aren't so sure.
Aging Sewers and Growing Cities Mean Troubled Waters
As cities grow, aging sewer systems are having trouble keeping up with increasing amounts of waste. Often, the result is sewer system overflows that end up directly in waterways.
Boomburb Growth Must Go Up, Not Out, To Retain Viability
As reported here, many boomburbs have ceased growing, if only temporarily. Streetsblog notes that experts are suggesting that in order to maintain their economic viability, these fast growing communities will have to, gasp, become more urban in form
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
