United States
Foreclosure Blight Slashes Nation's Property Values
Foreclosed homes are creating blight in urban and suburban areas all across the country, lowering property values by more than $200 billion.
New Report Shows Gentrification Isn't Significant Problem
A new study conducted by University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Pittsburgh and Duke University says that the scourge of gentrification is greatly exaggerated.
Largest Land Conservation in U.S. Sealed
A deal between a Montana timber company and conservationists to preserve 320,000 acres of forest is the largest land conservation in U.S. history.
What Makes A Neighborhood Historic?
Older districts are often marked by high property values and traditional architecture, but it's not just aesthetics and history that define them. Some historic neighborhoods have gone through vast changes, while others don't appear "historic" at all.
Best American Cities for Design
Business Week looks at a recent list of the best cities for design in America.
Bad Mortgages and Gas Prices = Good For Cities?
The article suggests that rising gas prices, enduring subprime mortgage crisis, and some changing demographics (i.e., the aging of Baby Boomers) are all contributing to the greater popularity of central city neighborhoods.
Mayors Oppose Attack on Iran, Cite Effect of War on Cities
Citing the great burden America's cities are bearing due to the war in Iraq, a coalition of Mayors allied with anti-war groups tabled a resolution opposing military action against Iran at the recent Conference of Mayors.
U.S. Infrastructure Crumbling
The Economist reviews the state of America's crumbling civil infrastructure. With water, transit, bridge, and road systems failing, experts call for increased investment and careful planning.
Fed Freezes Solar Power
The Bureau of Land Management, with a pile of solar power plans on its desk, declares a moratorium on building on public land until they can do environmental impact studies.
Is Urbanism to Blame For Social Alienation?
This commentary from ArchNewsNow wonders whether urbanism is really the cause of social alienation, not the cure.
Amtrak Struggles To Meet Skyrocketing Demand
With unprecedented demand, Amtrak is hampered by years of neglect. The agency is unable to handle all the new customers resulting from high gas prices and plane tickets and is struggling to replace aged equipment and pay for increased fuel costs.
Friday Funny: Wasn't That A Taco Bell?
Not Fooling Anybody collects photos of former chain restaurants that have been awkwardly converted into ethnic restaurants, chiropractors, police stations, and more.
'Independence Day' for Housing
Congress is promising to pass before Independence Day a sweeping set of housing legislation that would offer refinancing packages, a trust fund for affordable rental housing and offer tax credits for purchasing unoccupied houses.
U.S. Cities Going off the Bottle
The U.S. Conference of Mayors has resolved to phase out purchasing bottled water, not only for environmental reasons, but as a way of encouraging more financial support for municipal water systems.
Ending the Ideology of Homeownership
Paul Krugman writes that we need to stop conflating owing a home with citizenship.
Suburbia Running Out of Gas
The economics of long commutes are forcing many to the conclusion that suburban living is no longer viable, and suburban housing prices are falling accordingly.
Reviving the Lowly Clothesline
A grassroots group is working to remove barriers to erecting clotheslines, which are commonly banned by apartments buildings as a blight. The group is pitching their work as an energy conservation effort.
The Rebirth of the Electric Car
In a bold move likened in this article to the Apollo program, General Motors is throwing everything it has into the development of the Volt, a revolutionary plug-in electric hybrid.
The Housing Bubble as a Social Phenomenon
In this excerpt from his forthcoming book, Subprime Solution, economist Robert J. Shiller writes of our tendency to succumb to "bubble thinking," and the role this has played in the current mortgage crisis.
Presidential Candidate Calls on Mayors to Embrace Urban Growth
Building a strong country is reliant on strong urban regions, according to Senator Barack Obama, who recently spoke with a conference of U.S. mayors about the importance of urban growth. Federal funding, however, will be limited, he said.
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
