Treating wastewater at the neighborhood level can save money on public infrastructure while providing environmental benefits.
"When addressing the challenge to provide abundant clean energy and water, decentralized solutions are becoming increasingly attractive. By distributing the infrastructure of everything from energy generation to wastewater treatment, you avoid the costly necessity to maintain a grid. Whether it is the electric power grid or underground pipes that deliver water and remove sewage, the more decentralized solutions there are, the more the public infrastructure can be downsized.
In this report by Tom Bartlett, the economic benefits of small scale sewage treatment plants are explained. The cost per home to construct a neighborhood sewage treatment plant is under $2,000, and these small-scale plants will last at least 50 years, with minimal maintenance other than a weekly inspection, and sludge removal every two years. Compare this with the costs to lay "big pipe" to huge centralized water treatment plants - an option that becomes prohibitively expensive the further a development is from an urban center."
FULL STORY: Decentralized Wastewater Treatment
The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall
The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.
The Paradox of American Housing
How the tension between housing as an asset and as an essential good keeps the supply inadequate and costs high.
Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities
The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.
Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan
Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.
How to Protect Pedestrians With Disabilities
Public agencies don’t track traffic deaths and injuries involving disabled people, leaving a gap in data to guide safety interventions.
Colorado Town Fills Workforce Housing Need With ‘Dorm-Style’ Housing
Median rent in Steamboat Springs is $4,000 per month.
City of Yakima
City of Auburn
Baylands Development Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.