United States

According to a new report, more than 1% of the U.S. population is behind bars -- the highest percentage ever recorded. The flood of prisoners is causing major funding problems for many communities and state governments.

February 29, 2008 - Yahoo News

Randal O'Toole believes that in the search for blame for the mortgage and credit crisis, an obvious candidate is being overlooked: city planners.

February 29, 2008 - Cato @ Liberty

Nearly 100 million American households have tended a garden or lawn since 2005, a significant increase from years past. According to estimates, much of the rise is due to younger adults getting out in their gardens.

February 29, 2008 - Publishers Weekly

Universities are embracing their interrelationships with their cities, sparking a flurry of university-led urban development projects.

February 28, 2008 - The Wall Street Journal

Filmmaker Danny Schechter reflects on the extent of America's debt crisis, and wonders if we need something like the Oscars to help name and identify those responsible.

February 28, 2008 - Common Dreams

If a group of bipartisan governors from some of the nation's largest states have their way, the $168 billion economic stimulus package will include $30 billion to repair the nation's infrastructure, including road, rail, and bridges.

February 28, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Hospitals are being built and renovated all across the country -- a trend responding to the aging baby boomer population.

February 27, 2008 - Planning Commissioners Journal

The pleas of governors from across the country for more infrastructure funding have been shot down by President George W. Bush.

February 27, 2008 - The New York Times

The cities of Vallejo, California, and McCall, Idaho, are considering filing for bankruptcy.

February 26, 2008 - Governing

This post from Pruned looks at a proposal to turn a contaminated reservoir into a "bioremediating ecological machine".

February 25, 2008 - Pruned

Experts differ on the extent to which the economy will be damaged as a result of the mortgage crisis. But almost all agree it's going to get a lot worse.

February 25, 2008 - Time

The prevalence of mortgage "walkaways" reveals that the mortgage crisis has significantly changed the values associated with homeownership, and reduced the stigma of foreclosure.

February 24, 2008 - Washington Independent

Unprecedented failure in municipal bond auctions is causing municipal borrowers to flee the auction market and driving up rates at which cities can borrow money.

February 23, 2008 - Bloomberg.com

In recent decades, traffic volumes have risen rapidly throughout the United States. But a report by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments argues that growth rates in traffic volume may be tapering off.

February 23, 2008 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

More and more states are looking to cash in on the movie business by building film studios and offering tax incentives to filmmakers.

February 22, 2008 - Stateline

A group of researchers is using mapping and satellite data to help cities quantify their tree canopy cover -- a move that is spurring efforts to increase tree planting in cities across the country.

February 22, 2008 - Associated Press

The recent phenomenon of housing abandonment in the suburbs is only the beginning: projections now estimate that by 2025 40% of large-lot homes will be standing vacant.

February 21, 2008 - Atlantic Monthly

The best way to improve automobiles is to improve cities, according to this article from Business Week.

February 21, 2008 - Business Week

As the population booms, the need for housing and development will become even greater over the next 20 years. Many are arguing for a shift away from the cookie-cutter land use patterns of the past.

February 21, 2008 - The New York Times

City rankings can be double-edged sword.

February 21, 2008 - Governing