The trend of suburbanization characterized a long chapter in American residential living, but in recent decades many urban areas have seen transformations as waves of new apartments and condos have been built. Beginning in the 1990s, new building permits began to increase in many core urban areas.
Train and subway stations play a significant role in both transit networks and the urban environment. While numerous studies have examined stations’ effect on property values, the results have been mixed: Some show a negative impact, others insignificant differences, and some indicate positive effects.
Until 1950 the vast majority of owners of professional sports teams built and maintained their own stadiums. Local authorities now routinely contribute between 70% and 80% of the construction of facilities, however, fearful of losing franchises and the benefits assumed to come with them.
Sustainable water management refers to managing resources in a way that the water needs of present and future generations as well as the broader ecology are met. While the concept of sustainability has received considerable attention, actual efforts have been limited as population growth has continued.
High-occupancy vehicle lanes are intended to both speed traffic and improve air quality. This is done by dedicating a lane to cars with two or more occupants, thus reducing the number of vehicles traveling on the road. This both speeds traffic flows and reduces pollution. Some have argued, however, that if underutilized, such lanes can create congestion.
While national pedestrian fatalities in 2008 declined by 16% from a decade earlier, that year car crashes caused 4,378 pedestrians deaths and injured 69,000 pedestrians. Urban areas were consistently found to account for a larger proportion of such deaths and injuries.
Automotive transportation, one of the largest sectors of the U.S. economy, has numerous societal benefits but also many downsides — pollution, fatalities, congestion. Getting the price individuals pay for driving to reflect its true cost to society is one of the most significant challenges of public policy.
Between 1950 and 1990, while the population of U.S. metropolitan areas grew 72%, the central cities shrank by 17%. Factors that could account for central cities’ population decline include faster commutes, population sorting due to racial and social preferences and perceived increases in city crimes.
Once part of the urban fabric of the United States, streetcars declined as the automobile rose during the 1930s and 1940s. In the last several decades, however, streetcars have returned to popularity — more than 40 new systems are in planning, construction or operation.
