The Ohio Department of Transportation is experimenting with "green noise walls" instead of the standard eyesore, using bags of soil sprouting greenery as an alternative to concrete.
The project is only the 2nd on record to attempt "eco-friendly noise abatement": a Wisconsin project from 1996 worked well until weeds took it over and a part of the way fell down.
Karen Farkas at the Plain Dealer talked to ODOT spokesman Scott Varner: "It is like a Chia (Pet) wall - basically filling bags with dirt and seed, watering it and watching it grow up and out. [...] And much like the novelty plant on the windowsill, it will take some care in the beginning and ongoing maintenance."
Read the full story: Sound wall made of vegetation to be studied by ODOT as alternative to concrete wall
Nevada Law Requiring Removal of ‘Useless’ Grass Has Killed 100,000 Las Vegas Trees, Lawsuit Claims
The lawsuit alleges that the removal of ornamental grass has damaged the city’s tree canopy.
Study: Silence Raises Property Values
A Florida study found homes near recently built sound walls saw a rise in value.
Fossil Fuel-Based Artificial Turf Raises Concerns
Cities and states are rolling back support for artificial turf, which can leach chemicals and microplastics into groundwater.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
Mamdani sent nearly 6,000 pied-à-terre tax warnings to homes that didn’t qualify
A judge has ordered the administration to cancel thousands of pied-à-terre tax notices after it sent 35% of them erroneously.
25 states, cities sue the EPA over erased power plant emissions limits
The coalition also intends to sue the EPA for not regulating emissions from gas-fired power plants.
Newsom vetoes giving CA tribes greater voice in water projects
In his veto letter, Newsom said the bill would add ‘uncertainty’ to the state’s fight to secure Californians’ water supplies.
Michigan Senate votes to revise 'lax' dam safety laws
A Bridge Michigan investigation found more than 100,000 Michigan residents live in the floodpath of a high or significant-hazard dam.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello