USA Today

Cities like Alexandria, VA and Agoura Hills, CA have taken to relaxing sign restrictions for the sake of boosting local business.

Around the country, cities have been forced to scrimp by cutting back on holiday-themed light displays.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, the number of miles driven in the U.S. declined by 4.4% since last year.

FEMA has redone official maps of flood-prone areas across the country, designating some as flood zones for the first time.

Some residents living too close to wind turbines are feeling the negative effects of the noise they produce: nausea, headaches, and vertigo, to name a few.

Quirky, artistic bike racks are cropping up in cities around the country--a trend that benefits more than just cyclists.

By planting in under-utilized backyards, farmer Trevor Paque has brought small-scale farming to more than 50 homes across San Francisco -- a decentralized farm expected to feed more than 150 families come spring.

As land continues to disappear along the Gulf Coast and hurricane damages increase, many are beginning to reconsider whether to rebuild or retreat.

The economic crisis is the latest hindrance to stall rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. From issues of boosting homeownership to restoring tourism, the Big Easy's road to recovery is looking bumpier than ever.

Chicago preservationists are urging owners of the last of the city's neon signs to keep them intact.

Washington State is telling local governments that they need to ban carwashing in driveways, where runoff goes into storm drains and pollutes groundwater.

Public plazas have been cropping up along Broadway and Madison Square in New York, occupying spaces that were once traffic lanes.

When big boxes go under, they leave big holes. Communities across America are coming up with some creative ways to reuse the huge spaces left behind when big box retailers move out.

Colleges across the country are trying new incentive programs to get students to leave their cars behind when school starts.

A new census of Muslim congregations is reviving controversies over how many Muslims are in the U.S., how they are counted and why it matters.

This article from USA Today looks at how some big cities are reacting to rising energy prices. Two examples from metropolitan Phoenix highlight the fact that it is not only suburbs that are being forced to respond.

Some states have made progress in repairing old bridges since the 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse, but many states still have thousands in disrepair. Billions are needed to get them up-to-date.

Flood waters along the Mississippi River continue to rise, leaving many Midwest towns deep under water. The Army Corps of Engineers has just identified 27 levees that may not be high enough to handle the rising waters.

At one time, Oklahoma City is doing two things many cities have only hoped to: the city's getting rid of one of its aging inner-city highways and replacing it with a park.

Minneapolis is one of several cities that have filed lawsuits against mortgage companies, seeking damages for the blight caused by the large number of foreclosures in some of its neighborhoods.