United States

Staying Healthy During the Pandemic
Local parks and green spaces that enable safe social distancing have never been more important to people living in cities. The Trust for Public Land has released a new report showing their importance and the challenges they are facing.

How Trump's Version of the Suburbs Gets it Wrong
Analysis of Trump's favorability ratings with suburban voters and the demographic trends of recent years could doom his recent messages regarding the Democratic agenda for the suburbs.

Opinion: The Zoning Reform Discourse Needs a Dose of Reality
Lately it seems like people are forgetting that zoning is a legal process, requiring the support of elected officials.

One U.S. State Boasts 33% Fewer Carbon Emissions Per Capita Than Any Other
California, the largest state by population in the United States, is responsible for 33% fewer carbon emissions per capita than any other state, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Report: Vehicle Miles Traveled Almost Fully Returned to Pre-Pandemic Levels
Reports last week that the U.S. economy is about 30 percent smaller than before the pandemic aren't reflected in driving trends.

NACTO Recommends Default Safety Setting for Speed Limits
A step toward an overhaul of the way speed is managed on city streets around the country.

A Grim Coronavirus Milestone: 150,000 American Deaths
A grim warning was issued by the non-profit group that represents America's medical schools and teaching hospitals: if the nation doesn't change its response to the pandemic, "Multiples of hundreds of thousands" of additional deaths may occur.

Connecting Traffic, Air Quality, and Coronavirus Spread
Early in the pandemic, bike sales soared and vehicle miles traveled plummeted. As people have been driving more, more people have also been infected with the novel coronavirus.

What Happens if 23 Million Renters Are Evicted?
Shelterforce spoke with researchers, advocates, lawyers, housing economists, and rental housing industry representatives to understand what that crisis would do to evicted families, public health, and the housing market.

Campaign Launched to Halt State Reopenings and Start Over
During March and April, most states shut down all but essential services in order to "flatten the curve," and it largely worked. What happened afterward didn't. U.S. PIRG has organized a campaign to start the process over and do it right.

This Moment Calls for Finally Making Homeownership Access Fair
The worsening housing crisis shows that we must develop comprehensive tools and programs to keep families housed and their assets preserved.

Do You Know Your COVID-19 Colors?
Harvard University's Global Health Insititute and Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics have launched a new online tool for planners, policy makers, and the public to determine the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in one's county and state.

The ADA Turned 30, but Universal Accessibility Still Far From the Reality
While many cities have shown efforts to implement accessible design since the 1990 adoption of the American Disabilities Act, more must be done.

Trump Finally Follows Through on Threat to Gut Obama-Era Fair Housing Rule
It's not clear if President Trump is aware that his administration has been working to rescind the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule since 2018, but he's recently doubled down on messaging that pit suburbs against the Fair Housing Act.

A Tale of Two Real Estate Markets
Hotels, retail, and office properties, along with renters, have been ravaged by the economic downturn of the pandemic. Meanwhile home sales are booming as people with money in the bank take advantage of low interest rates to upgrade.

August Expiration Date for Federal Foreclosure Moratorium Raises Concerns
The housing market has yet to devolve like in 2008, thanks to a federal safety net put in place in March, but a wave of foreclosures is still a possibility as protections begin to expire.

'We Are Living Right Now Through a Historic Pandemic Outbreak.'
On the day before America reached the grim milestone of four million COVID-19 cases, with one million added in the last 15 days, Anthony Fauci shared views on where the nation is headed in the pandemic.

The Future of the Typical, Solo Car Commute
A study finds that a third of workers would prefer to work remotely every day of the workweek, potentially removing nearly 50 million cars from U.S. roadways.

A Defense of 'Out of Scale' Buildings
Beauty is often known to break the rules.

Survey Finds Growing Support for a Mileage Fee Over the Gas Tax
An annual survey by the Mineta Transportation Institute found new levels of support for a change in the way the federal government raises money from, and for, highway infrastructure.
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