United States
Gas Prices Surge, Transit Ridership Jumps, VMT Drops
As gas prices inch beyond $4 a gallon, transit trips increase by 3.3% for the first quarter of the year and vehicle miles traveled drop 4.3% in March.
Diversity Spreads From Cities to Suburbs
The suburbs are becoming the inner-city, according to recent studies that are showing a shift in suburban demographics from predominantly white to incredibly diverse.
Oil Prices Affecting Asphalt As Well, Creating Opening For Greener Roads
Asphalt is a byproduct of oil production, and so is getting more expensive along with rising oil costs. A $5 million research project is looking for greener solutions.
U.S. Rail Network Facing Traffic Woes
Freight trains already face serious traffic on the nation's network of rails. If nothing is done, insiders project disaster in the near future.
Big Box on a Diet
Big box stores are following their customers into downtowns, and stores like Circuit City and Target are retooling for density.
The End of Car Culture?
Transit ridership is spiking across the country as gas prices go up. Is this a tipping point for America's car culture?
Environmental Groups Warm to Trains
Railroads are overcoming decades of resistance from environmentalists by touting their greener aspects.
Toilet-To-Tap: Getting Past The 'Yuck Factor'
As the cities in the arid Western United States face huge water shortages, officials and scientists are trying to convince the public that recycled wastewater can be clean and safe.
L.A. Called Home to Second Smallest Carbon Footprint
New research from the Brookings Institution claims that Los Angeles has the second smallest carbon footprint of big American cities -- a finding that contains a few caveats.
A 'One Size Fits All' Rule For Affordable Housing Doesn't Work
Requiring all cities and towns to building affordable housing is bad policy. The focus should be on building housing in existing urban areas near jobs and transit, not in rural and suburban towns.
Bush Considers Massive Marine Conservation Effort
The Bush Administration is reportedly considering the creation of some of the world's large marine reserves by using the presidential powers granted by the Antiquities Act of 1906.
The Failure of Long-Range Metropolitan Transportation Planning
In a policy analysis for the Cato Institute, Randal O'Toole reviews plans for more than 75 of the nation's largest metropolitan areas reveals that virtually all of them fail to follow standard planning methods, and half of them are not effective.
Will LEED-ND Discourage Affordable Housing?
Critics worry that cities who require new developments to meet LEED-ND standards will sacrifice affordable housing for sustainability.
America's Oil Addiction Is Like A Drinking Problem
The Washington Post's car columnist, Warren Brown, writes about the U.S oil addiction using insightful references to alcoholism -- describing the role of the government, the auto and oil industry, and most importantly, consumers.
The Scooter Alternative
Scooter sales are on the rise, as Americans wake up to the effect of high gas prices on their pocketbook.
Americans Reluctantly Face Their Gasoline Habit
The New York Times looks across the nation and finds consumers reluctantly changing their habits to deal with rising gas prices.
Soon You Won't Be Able to 'Drive Until You Qualify'
High gas prices and slowing construction rates in exurban areas may mean that the era of "driving until you qualify" for affordable housing may be over soon.
Despite Downturn, Landscape Architects Keep Busy
A national survey shows that despite the depression in the housing market, landscape architects across the U.S. continue to get work.
Pro-Environment Urbanites Go Rural For Real
For years, hipsters have sported trucker hats and rootsy fashion with a back-to-the-earth vibe. Now, some young professionals are heading back to the farm for real -- and taking their organic, pro-environment values with them.
Prices Plummeting in Far-Flung Suburbs
The areas hardest-hit by the subprime mortgage crisis are not just low-income and minority communities, but also outer-ring suburbs.
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
