In the shadow of the recession, a great migration of sorts has occurred in the suburbs. Though, since the rows of houses were first built outside America's city limits, this population turnover has been a long time coming. A Brookings Institution preview of the 2010 Census released last year shows that the nuclear family out in suburbia with its kids and white-picket fences and two-car garages has been a misscharacterization for at least the last decade, if not longer. Racial and ethnic minorities now account for a majority of the population in 17 metropolitan areas, most in the South and Southwest, but regions like New York in the Northeast will soon follow. Also, since 2000, the number of 55to 64 year olds nationwide grew by nearly 50 percent. This past January, the first baby boomers turned 65. Brookings demographer William H. Frey talks to Blueprint America about his findings, and what all of it means to a new kind of suburbia.

America is on the brink of a massive demographic shift as the first of the baby boom turned 65 this New Year. Already, an estimated 39 million people across the country are 65 or older -- just over 13 percent of the population. By 2030, when all baby boomers will be over 65, there will be 72 million seniors -- about 20 percent of the population. And our suburbs -- where half of all Americans live today -- will be hardest hit. Elinor Ginzler, AARP's Director of Livable Communities, talks to Blueprint America about how Americans can live in suburbia as they age. Already, the suburbs are a tough place to get around. Getting older won’t make it any easier.

Podcast: Can better urban infrastructure make Americans healthier?

President Eisenhower's dream of an Interstate Highway system was bold and shaped America's future in the second half of the 20th century. These days the magnitude of his project is largely forgotten, and the vast system of roads is taken for granted as part of American life. But was it always so easy to see Ike's vision for the country?

Sometimes responsibility is in the eye of the beholder. For example, what is the best way to invest in the nation's infrastructure? In the state of Wisconsin, the governor declined $810 million worth of federal stimulus money for a high speed rail initiative because he says the state couldn't afford to maintain the system and that money should be spent on roads, not rail. However, in Illinois, the governor sees his responsibility differently. A look at the future of passenger rail.

In hard economic times, it's difficult to believe that two states are together rejecting over a billion dollars in federal money. Ohio and Wisconsin will not undertake high-speed rail projects that were in development as late as last November. New leadership in both states claimed the rail projects would forever burden their state budgets. In the morning light, however, their objections may face fresh scrutiny.

Last month, Blueprint America's colleagues at Need to Know debuted a new segment on the program: Fixing America. This week, their big thinkers take on infrastructure and the economy -- can High-speed rail get America back on the right track? Guests include Petra Todorovich, director the America 2050; Felix Salmon, a financial blogger for Reuters; and Patricia DeGennaro, a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute.

A look back at an interview with then-ranking minority leader of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. John Mica (R., Fla.), as he is set to take over as Chair next year.

America's on the slow train behind China, writes blogger Gridlock Sam.

Blueprint America: Public Works is an effort by 18 public television stations across the country to support and report on issues of sustainability, smart growth, and infrastructure. Today, Blueprint America checks in on progress in three states: Illinois, North Carolina, and Indiana. In Indiana, a flawed water system is under the microscope. In North Carolina, development is examined for how it can best serve both the environment and its inhabitants. In Illinois, a city pushes forward a sustainability agenda.

Rethink, reuse, and rebuild, that's what the Obama Administration has been saying since their recent proclamation that America needs to invest in retooling its infrastructure. Now, billions more in local grants are on the horizon with the Livable Communities Act, which will coordinate housing, transportation, and economic development policies in big cities, suburban centers, and small towns across the country. Blueprint Virginia looks at redesigning the city of Portsmouth, VA.