United States

Over half of the land in the American West is publicly owned. Policy over the last century has tended towards allowing the extraction of natural resources, but it may be time for a shift into preservation.

February 21, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

William Menking compares the WPA with the current stimulus package and finds many parallels, including an emphasis on shovel-ready projects and a lack of trust in the federal government to plan large-scale infrastructure.

February 20, 2009 - The Architect's Newspaper

In a recent interview with newspaper columnists, President Barack Obama spent some time discussing the idea of a national infrastructure bank and the chances of one taking shape.

February 20, 2009 - The Washington Post

In this NPR interview, Michael Replogle, Environmental Defense Fund's transportation director, points to a 12-lane highway that will be built with stimulus funds that he says exacerbates our dependence on foreign oil and global warming.

February 20, 2009 - NPR

What were the inside politics that allowed for the largest investment in high speed rail in the U.S? Politico reports on the Obama-Emanuel workings of the rail investment in the stimulus package - and no, it wasn't based on the LA to Las Vegas route.

February 20, 2009 - Politico

The Federal Transit Administration has released its preliminary calculations of how much each of the nation’s transit systems will receive from the overall stimulus bill.

February 20, 2009 - Transport Politic

Morris Architects seems to think so, taking first prize in a contest for hospitality design with their proposal to turn Gulf of Mexico drilling platforms into vacation destinations.

February 20, 2009 - Curbed LA

More urban professionals are finding the only way to make housing affordable is to live with roommates.

February 20, 2009 - AlterNet

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion has been appointed to the post, which The White House says is tasked with "develop(ing) a strategy for metropolitan America."

February 19, 2009 - Sacramento Bee

America's suburbs are no longer impervious to "slumming," as low income earners are forced into places that were once firmly middle class. Therefore, researchers say, anti-poverty measures should go beyond mere suburb relocation.

February 19, 2009 - Miller-McCune

This piece from NPR looks at the debate over plans to use more than $7 billion from the stimulus plan to expand broadband Internet access in rural areas.

February 19, 2009 - NPR

The Wall St. Journal reviews the latest in smart technology for infrastructure, from vehicle infrastructure integration to smart utility meters.

February 18, 2009 - Wall St. Journal

President Barack Obama has announced a $75 billion plan to help counteract home foreclosures -- a move that aims to allow more than 9 million Americans to refinance their troubled mortgages.

February 18, 2009 - The New York Times

In this op-ed, Michael Andregg touts Personal Rapid Transit over 'financially unsustainable' light rail, which he blames politicians for encouraging.

February 18, 2009 - The Pioneer Press

The 'Subway to the Sea' project in Los Angeles isn't just about transportation- it also opens up a world of development opportunity, say architects Ernesto Vasquez, AIA and Jeff Mayer, AIA of MVE & Partners.

February 18, 2009 - Jeff Mayer

NYT columnist David Brooks compares the dreams for a more compact, less car-dependent lifestyle of many urban planners with the findings of a Pew Research poll on the types of communities Americans want to live in, and they are not like Amsterdam.

February 17, 2009 - The New York Times

When it comes to carbon emissions, dense cities are better for the environment than anything else, says economists Edward L. Glaeser of Harvard and Matthew Kahn of UCLA. And right now we're inhibiting building where we should be encouraging it.

February 17, 2009 - City Journal

Banks and financial institutions are making the foreclosure crisis worse, as lobbying efforts seek to block bankruptcy courts from gaining more power to reduce debt, according to this article from Der Spiegel.

February 17, 2009 - Der Spiegel

Nobel laureate and new Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu is interviewed on what it will take to solve the climate change crisis - three major technological improvements plus carbon pricing. While no fan of coal, he acknowledges improvements are needed.

February 16, 2009 - The New York Times

If the list provided by Business Week is accurate, the Stimulus package includes many tens of billions of dollars for investments in sustainable energy and energy efficiency, infrastructure, rapid transit and the environment.

February 16, 2009 - Business Week