The Yardstick has been chock full of great information this spring and since it’s been awhile since our last round-up of some of our favorite posts we put together an updated collection. Now’s a good time to get caught up on anything you may have missed. Happy reading!

Bike to Work Day is not only a great event to get folks to shed their cars in favor of a two-wheeled commute; it actually creates hundreds of new permanent bike commuters.

A short-sighted Congress is playing politics with vital community development funding effectively sacrificing long-term growth for short-term points.

China India and other developing countries need to learn from former urban planning mistakes (such as building cities and suburbs around cars) and avoid them. It’s the only way to create a sustainable future with billions of more people.

“Anti-planners” often claim that urban planning is a method by which the government tries to impose its will on residents. Actually it’s the free market that’s leading the charge for smaller more compact mixed-use development.

Green buildings don’t have to be shiny and new. In fact many of the region’s greenest buildings are older but they have great access to transit.

Freight transportation is often overlooked in transportation and planning circles. That’s changing with a new freight plan and group for metro Washington.

Putting things like clean air and water into economic terms is a bit grating on the nerves for many environmentalists. The fact that a clean stable environment is positive for our health and the health of the planet should be enough. Unfortunately it’s often not.

Last but not least the Washington Sustainable Growth Alliance (WSGA) has issued its annual Call to Action ​a list of critical regional conservation initiatives that need immediate action in order to succeed.