Texas

When the West Fertilizer Co plant exploded last week in Texas, it severely damaged homes and schools located in close proximity to the property, and killed dozens of people. Markos Moulitsas blames lax zoning standards for putting lives at risk.

April 23, 2013 - Daily Kos

Emily Badger explains why the demolition of El Paso's high-rise city hall this past weekend was a cause for celebration, as the first step in a multimillion-dollar redevelopment that promises to transform the city's downtown.

April 16, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

In order to facilitate the construction of more workforce housing, Houston is considering changing its development rules for the first time in 14 years. Will increasing density limits in the "doughnut" beyond Loop 610 help bring down prices?

April 15, 2013 - Houston Chronicle

Although urban living has been making a comeback throughout the United States, "sprawl still dominates new construction in emerging metro regions in certain parts of the country," says Kaid Benfield. He looks at the areas where sprawl still rules.

April 12, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard

An online petition opposing a proposed 53-story, mixed-use "Energy Tower" began circulating in March. "Is this what we want to present to the world, that we're the Dubai of Texas?", asked the organizer. However, Midland is not new to tall buildings.

April 11, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Chris Bentley explains how San Antonio's Beaux Arts federal courthouse became an unlikely paragon of the GSA's sustainability efforts while balancing a sensitive historic renovation.

April 7, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper

In this op-ed, Arthur B. Laffer and Stephen Moore analyze the recent Census findings showing renewed migration from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and Southwest. They note the movement is clearly from blue states to red, and explain why.

April 5, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

A major reason given by Keystone XL pipeline supporters is that the Canadian oil it will deliver to Gulf refineries will help make the U.S. 'energy independent', yet data shows that those refineries are now exporting 60% of the gasoline they produce.

March 18, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

WSJ editorial write Allysia Finley opines on the out-migration of working class Californians in search of employment and lower housing costs, contrasting it with in-migration of the same class of Americans during the Depression - also on video.

March 7, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

In an opinion piece for the Houston Chronicle, John Desmond discusses the findings of a ULI advisory panel tasked with developing recommendations for creating a mixed use 24-hour neighborhood in downtown's east side.

March 3, 2013 - Houston Chronicle

Two reports claim wildly opposite views on where the current shale gas boom is headed. David Hughes, a Canadian geologist and fellow of the Post Carbon Institute disputes projections of energy independence. A Univ. of Texas study confirms the boom.

March 2, 2013 - The Tyee

Houston's 14 percent recycling rate is downright dismal (San Francisco's is 80 percent). The city's entry in the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Mayor's Challenge seeks to change this by taking the onus off of individuals to decide what's recyclable.

February 28, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

High cost of living and lack of jobs are driving urban populations out of cities, and simply increasing density requirements might not be enough to reverse the trend, argues Jim Russell.

February 19, 2013 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Experts have opined that up to 60 percent of residents are inclined to want to bike, but concerned about the safety of their route. Working from this premise, the city of Austin has developed a novel bike map keyed to the comfort of each street.

February 16, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Two articles from non-profit organizations - a think tank and an advocacy group, seemingly arrive at the same conclusion: the future of the state gas tax is grim due to lack of political will to raise it. However, some states are bucking the trend.

February 6, 2013 - Stateline

Patrick Kennedy proposes an elegant and cost-effective way to deal with Dallas's aging elevated freeway and the city's "massive pent-up demand for walkable urban housing" - tear the sucker down.

January 30, 2013 - D Magazine

Alan G. Brake looks at the ambitions of Dallas's newly opened Klyde Warren Park. Built atop a trenched highway, the park "attempts to merge sophisticated contemporary design with walkable urbanism" while uniting two downtown neighborhoods.

January 8, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper

The oil and gas companies clustered south of the central business district and in the Woodlands account for 3.4 percent of the city's employment, but the concentrated energy sector helps spread the wealth to other sectors in zoning-free Houston.

December 7, 2012 - The New York Times

Cynthia Barnett says Americans live under an "illusion of water abundance" and calls for government water managers and private water companies to "stem the drain on America's water resources before it's too late."

November 13, 2012 - The Los Angeles Times

Five years ago, Graham Weston, the chairman and co-founder of Rackspace, had a wild vision to transform an abandoned mall into his company's headquarters. His unique approach has revitalized the adjacent city of Windcrest, a suburb of San Antonio.

November 1, 2012 - The New York Times