HOUSTON-Land buys are gaining in popularity with small business owners, who are buying less than 10 acres and building what they want. It's a growing trend, says a broker who's sealing deals in the city's brisk land market.

SAN JOSE-On 170 acres of pastureland at the edge of the city, US DataPort will develop a $1.2-billion, 2.5-million-sf complex with off-the-grid power designed for warehousing computers that store the Web sites that comprise the Internet.

HOUSTON-Bandwidth commodities trading and the potential of data storage commodity trading are pushing Houston into the forefront as a high-tech center. And, says one broker, the demand's sure to get even stronger.

SEATTLE, WA-With a serious energy crunch up and down the West Coast, power-saving rooftop gardens are beginning to garner attention. City officials here are placing them on two new government buildings and about a dozen older parking garages.