Latest Articles

The urban landscape from A to Z

We’ve covered a lot of urban ground in the past year, so we thought it would be fun to take a look back (and a couple of peeks forward) by going from A to Z in the urban alphabet. Here are some of the things we’ve been watching, and will continue to school ourselves on. […]

iPadding into the future

The iPad has been one of the most hyped gadgets of 2010, and I have to say, after just a few days of using one, the buzz is mostly deserved. But what has really grabbed me is the iPad’s potential as a green machine — to the extent it makes the printed page if not […]

Obama calls NFL Eagles owner about clean energy (oh yeah, and Michael Vick)

Did Obama call Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeff Lurie to praise his decision to let Michael Vick return to the team ... or to discuss clean energy?

Farmer-scientist group wants to 'hack society' through open-source technology

The Open Source Ecology team's ambitious first project is the Global Village Construction Set -- a sort of life-size Erector set of the most essential machines for building a "small civilization with modern-day comforts."

Understanding the optimistic view embraced by 'Climatopolis'

I thank Joe Romm for his constructive suggestions about my book, "Climatopolis." But in no way do his points affect the book's core logic.

Upton argues Obama plans to destroy America in the name of global warming

Incoming energy chair Fred Upton has shifted to oppose not only cap-and-trade legislation but any form of limits on climate pollution whatsoever.

Jerry Brown to live in walkable neighborhood for his new stint as California governor

California's new governor is getting some urbanist love for his choice of dwelling.

Native American group sues to block California's big solar projects

If 2010 was the year of big solar projects, 2011 is shaping up to be the year of big solar litigation. A Native American group has sued to block construction of six huge solar thermal power plants.

Mushrooms in the Minnesota winter [VIDEO]

Learn how oyster mushrooms are grown and how to make a delicious terrine out of them -- all while you ponder the local-versus-sustainable question.

IBM heads to Rio with its Smarter Cities program

IBM has partnered with Rio de Janeiro to create an operations center that will give the Brazilian city's emergency-management team access to a vast array of data.