United States
Some Suburbs Making Greener Efforts
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will increasingly be the heavy responsibility of suburban communities. Some are taking steps to accept that responsibility.
The Coming Debate On Reducing 'Vehicle Miles Traveled'
The Wall Street Journal's "Eyes on the Road" columnist, Joseph B. White, ponders the "next big debate over the role of the automobile in America" now that fuel efficiency was raised, and the direction he points to is most surprising.
Cities Struggle to Counter Post-Foreclosure Abandonment
Foreclosed homes continue to plague cities across the country as large swaths of land and entire neighborhoods are abandoned.
Rental Companies Eye Car-Sharing
Rental car companies are venturing into the field of car-sharing.
Greening Efforts Struggle to Convince the Stubborn
Communities are looking at ways to become more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, but they're struggling to combat local opposition.
Zipcars and Congestion Solutions
This presentation from the March 2007 TED conference features Robin Chase, founder of the car-sharing service Zipcar. Chase discusses other ideas for tackling the congestion problems facing America's urban areas.
Census Bureau Report Confirms Housing Crisis
The U.S. Census Bureau's Report on Vacancies and Homeownership shows that homeownership rates are declining while inventories of available housing are increasing.
Americans Spending Less Time Outdoors, In Parks
Fewer Americans are visiting parks and and participating in outdoor activities, according to a new study.
Will a New President Cut Congestion?
This piece from the Los Angeles Times asks some experts how a new president could potentially reduce the nation's congestion.
Democracy and The Geography of Suburbia
According to an increasing number of theorists, modernist planning and urban renewal practices have produced nothing but an overly simplified, paternalistic urbanism that has in time proved unable to mirror the complexity of urban life.
Know Thyself, But Know Thou Too
If you want to get a sustainable building or community built, you have to know your audience. Architect and urban planner Andres Duany offers a field-guide of target groups.
The New Redlining
Mortgage lenders are increasingly imposing new loaning restrictions on risky areas encompassed by entire ZIP codes and county lines, creating what some are calling the "new redlining".
Think Twice About One-Way Streets
This editorial argues that one-way streets kill downtowns, and they need to be converted to two-ways to help save downtown areas across the country.
Ahead of the Game
Robert Steuteville comments about the long-standing links between New Urbanism, good placemaking, and the environment.
Greening Levittown - One House At A Time
Levittown, Long Island has undertaken a green makeover, complete with individualized energy audits that enable improvements to reduce each home's carbon footprint by 20%. But greening the houses doesn't make for a green neighborhood.
Bike to the Future
Orion magazine looks at the lifestyle of nomadic utopian cyclists, who are cranking up for a post-petroleum future.
Birth of the 'Cool Spot'
A new regional planning idea is looking to reduce energy use and greenhouse emissions.
Who Will Sort the 'Trash-Outs'?
Amid the many negative impacts from the fallout of the subprime crisis is an emerging and disturbing trend: foreclosed homeowners are trashing their properties on their way out the door.
The Suburban Home: an Asset or a Liability?
This article from The Atlantic looks at the rising troubles experienced in the nation's suburbs since the foreclosure explosion.
Transportation Needs An Economist's Mind, Not An Engineer's
Reason's Robert Poole responds to the report from the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission and argues that despite its many good ideas, the engineer's perspective should be replaced with that of an economist.
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
