United States
McMansion Demand Nosedives
A survey of architects shows that a very low percentage of Americans are still clamoring for McMansions, indicating what may be a broad shift to smaller homes.
The Rise of Public Markets
An increase in smart growth and direct-to-consumer produce has caused the rebirth of public markets across the country. GOOD's Peter Smith looks at what is making these markets successful.
California, More States Facing Enormous Budget Shortfalls
The State of California missed a midnight deadline for a budget solution, and may have to issue IOUs. But they're not the only states facing imminent budget crises.
Decline in Decline of Housing Market
Yale economist Robert Schiller believes that the housing market is showing signs of improvement. "At this point, people are thinking the fall is over," says Schiller.
EPA OKs California's Plan to Regulate Emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency has reversed a decision by the Bush Administration that will allow California to create its own set of vehicle emissions standards.
Majority of Stimulus Spent on Roads
States are spending the vast majority of federal stimulus money on building or repairing roads and highways, according to a new study.
8 Republicans Bucking the Party on Climate Change and Transit
Reps. Mack (CA), Kirk (IL) and Reichert (WA) are among a small group of Republicans who voted for the recent climate change bill. It turns out these eight are also supporters of transit. Streetsblog makes the connection.
Growing Fast and Riding the Momentum
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released a list of the fastest-growing cities, in terms of population growth. Those on the list are hoping their growth will pull them through the recession.
A Tour of America's Nuclear History
The Hanford Nuclear Reservation is called the nation's most contaminated place, with pits containing nuclear waste like plutonium. It's also a historic site in terms of America's dabblings with nuclear weaponry, and now it's open for tours.
New Power Grid Would Slice Through Rural Areas
Expanding America's power grid to connect wind and solar power plants to the urban areas they fuel will require thousands of miles of transmission lines. Most of it will be built in rural areas where locals are not likely to be very welcoming.
6,000 Parking Spots, 20,000 Cars
That's the ratio on summer weekends downtown in Newport, Rhode Island. A coalition of local businesses, advocates and city officials are brainstorming solutions.
Should We Plan Cities To Be Temporary?
Eoin O'Carroll, writing in the Christian Science Monitor, notes the plans to bulldoze neighborhoods in decaying American cities and wonders if all this waste couldn't be avoided in the future by building more pre-fab houses.
Ways to Retrofit the City
You don't have to tear a city down to make it green, according to this piece from the Boston Globe, which offers some emerging ideas.
Cash-Strapped Cities Ditch Fourth of July Fireworks
Tight budgets are causing cities across the country to skip fireworks displays for their Fourth of July celebrations.
Breaking Out of Silos and Across Borders
With interdepartmental cooperation blossoming within the Obama administration, Neal Peirce wonders how things will shake down when policies hit metropolitan regions -- and the municipal borders that can impede and confuse policy.
City People Do-It-Themselves
This post from The New York Times' blog examines how city government's are increasingly relying on automated services to keep order and boost revenue, and how citizens are reacting.
Good Parks Good for Urban Economies
Anne Schwartz compiles recent studies on the economic value of parks, describing how an investment in parks by the city will result in a healthier urban economy.
Air in Hundreds of Neighborhoods Carries Elevated Risk of Cancer
Residents in 600 American neighborhoods are breathing air with levels of pollution that put them at an elevated risk of developing cancer.
Gasping for Air in America
Next American City's Hamida Kinge reviews the "State of the Air" report from the American Lung Association and finds dire news for the majority of Americans.
Bike Arcing
A new system of bike storage debuts in Palo Alto and Redwood City, CA next week. The Bike Arc aims to be more elegant and space-saving than the standard U-shaped rack.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
