Chicago's backyards may turn into oases of sustainability with a new program aimed at creating incentives for 'greener' practices in the city's private gardens.
Like many other U.S. cities working to create sustainability at the local level, Chicago's new program, Sustainable Backyards, creates a set of financial incentives for local homeowners to make their backyards all the bit more 'greener.' Switchboard's Kaid Benfield reports on the new program: "...the genius of it is that it's educational, participatory, and effective at the same time. Basically, the city provides financial assistance in the form of rebates that reimburse citizens for up to 50 percent of the cost of installing trees, native plants, compost bins, and/or rain barrels."
The City hopes sustainable backyards will help to reduce the heat-island effect, absorb more carbon dioxide, and slow urban runoff into overburdened sewers and water bodies. As Benfield notes, "Chicago was one of the cities profiled in NRDC's study of water pollution and green infrastructure solutions, Rooftops to Rivers II. NRDC's water program attorney Larry Levine says that 'stopping runoff with green infrastructure on private property is a crucial part in the solving [a] city's stormwater problems and improving the health of our communities.'"
FULL STORY: Cleaning the urban environment with "sustainable backyards"

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Cleveland to Boost Bike Safety With New Bike Lanes, School Programs
The program, using curriculum created by Cleveland Bikes, is part of a broader effort to improve safety along school routes.

Florida Home Insurers Disproportionately Dropping Low-Income Households
Non-renewal rates are highest in inland counties, not the coastal areas most immediately vulnerable to storms.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.
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