Posted by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably
One of the things that has concerned me about the recession, and in particular how hard the building industry has been hit, is that a lot of ready-to-go smart growth projects will have trouble securing financing, buyers, and tenants. A...continued→
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably
The last week has been unbelievable for the American economy. The events of just yesterday were dizzying and awful. And of course it's been brewing for a while now, starting with foreclosures and quickly followed by the sharp hikes...continued→
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
Now that the two major political parties have, for better or worse, formally nominated their candidates for president and vice president of the United States, I am reposting these two entries, with some minor updating. They were originally published on August 12...continued→
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably
The 1990s are starting to feel like a long time ago. Remember when golf courses surrounded by McMansions were sprouting up on the outskirts of many American suburbs?Today, with large-lot suburbia largely overbuilt, gas prices dragging down home values in...continued→
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil , Saving Wildlife and Wild Places , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
Dear Mr. President-elect*:As you may know, America is entering a period of rapid growth that will have a profound effect on our national well-being. As a result, you and your administration will have an unprecedented challenge, but also an unprecedented...continued→
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil
Haya El Nasser, who has long covered land development stories for USA Today, has written excellent companion pieces in today’s edition about changing suburbs and cities. The first, nicely displayed on page one, looks at how far-flung suburbs are reinventing themselves to...continued→
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
I reported back in the spring that, based on 2007 data, ridership on public transportation in the US was up 32 percent from 1995 and that, in 2007, ridership was at its highest point in 50 years.I also noted that,...continued→
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming
Sacramento is making a strong bid to join the pantheon of places in North America that are giving the planning profession a good name. Like Portland, Toronto, and Arlington before it, the Sacramento region is positioning itself to secure its...continued→
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil
Mainstream publications are falling all over each other trying to come up with new angles on gas prices and, in quite a few cases, how those prices are affected by, or are affecting, neighborhood choices. In its new article on...continued→
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil
Peter Goodman writes in today's New York Times: "Suddenly, the economics of American suburban life are under assault as skyrocketing energy prices inflate the costs of reaching, heating and cooling homes on the distant edges of metropolitan areas . . ."Life...continued→
