A class action law suit has been filed against the U.S. Green Building Council in federal court. Led by mechanical engineer and vocal LEED critic Henry Gifford, the lawsuit alleges that the USGBC has fraudulently misrepresented energy performance of buildings certified under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental…

In this essay, Vishaan Chakrabarti argues for an alternative policy approach for the U.S. that tackles the fundamental challenges we face in an integrated, purposeful way with dense urban living at the heart of it.

He imagines leaders promoting “time-tested ideas of density and mass transportation, of cities…