Planners are quick to criticize roads and highway investments for the vast sums spent to build, operate and maintain them, often questioning the value of these subsidies. Recently, on a planning list-serve, these subsidies were labeled an “external cost” of automobiles, but they are not.
Environment
Wind Farm Proposal off New Jersey Shoreline Draws Controversy
An independent analysis insists that Fishermen's Energy's 30-megawatt wind farm project could cause a statewide economic disaster, writes Tom Johnson.
Next American City
The Benefits of Urban Forests
Poor air quality has led to an explosion of a health problems among vulnerable populations, claims the American Society of Landscape Architects. This video explains how urban forests provide environmental benefits to densely populated cities.
American Society of Lanscape Architects
Stadiums Get Sustainable
Many sport agencies are realizing the benefits of going green. John McHale Jr., executive vice president at M.L.B. said “just because you can’t do everything doesn’t mean you can’t do something.” Many others are doing their part to help as well.
The New York Times
Rapid City Growth Causes Concern Over Urban Sprawl
The rapid growth of cities is causing concern amongst experts over the effects of urban sprawl. There are 19 megacities in the world today, and 10 more will rise in the next 30 years, reports Marcus Moretti for Yale Daily News.
Yale Daily News
Lake Erie Is Dying (Again)
Deadly algae and invasive species are choking the life out of Lake Erie. It recovered from near-death 40 years ago, but the regulations that helped save it last time are under increasing attack.
OnEarth
The Challenge of Long-Term Planning
The sometimes decades-long gap between cause and effect makes it difficult to reverse long-standing transportation & planning policies, says Ben Brown.
PlaceShakers
Township vs. Billionaire
A township of 3,000 people is waging war on a proposal from a billionaire energy magnate that would turn a beloved stretch of Lake Michigan coastline into condos, a hotel, and a golf course.The battle persists, even as town funding has become scarce.
The Wall Street Journal
Environmental Problems Plague Dubai
After decades of rapid urbanization, the emirate is now contending with a wide range of challenges to its environment and infrastructure.
The New York Times
ARRA Misses the Ecological Mark
Hillary Brown argues that the infrastructure priorities of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act further the carbon-intensive status quo and miss an unprecedented opportunity to build innovative, green systems.
Design Observer
Levee Construction Around New Orleans Enters a Period of Uncertainty
The Times-Picayune reports that the Army Corps of Engineers, under pressure from penny-pinched local governments, has commenced a new pilot study that potentially relaxes the new, stricter standards for levees it set in place post-Katrina.
The Times-Picayune
Waterfront Planning in a Shrinking City
What happens when a major retailer pulls out of a waterfront redevelopment project?
Artvoice Buffalo NY
The Gulf Oil Spill Illustrates a Corrupt Regulatory System
On the Commons criticizes the policy of 'enclosure' that has allowed "the systemic failures of the regulatory system and its political sponsors, Congress and the President," to go unnoticed.
On The Commons
BP Disaster Endangering Coastal Cultures
The Gulf Coast is home to diverse ethnic and racial communities that have already endured decades of pollution from chemical and petroleum industries. The BP leak may be the "nail in the coffin" for many of these communities, writes Jordan Flaherty.
Truthout
We're All to Blame for Gulf Disaster
William Rivers Pitt says it's all too easy to blame BP or the politicians who deregulated the oil industry. Ultimately, he says, all of us are to blame for the Gulf oil disaster and the damage wrought by fossil fuels.
Truthout
Economic Fallout of Gulf Disaster Could Top $200 Billion
While the scale and extent of the oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico are still unknown, the potential damage could mean a severe blow to the Gulf's $234 billion economy.
CNN Money
Call Yourself "Green"? Then Stop Driving!
In the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil catastrophe, Geography professor Jason Henderson calls out "green" liberals who insist on driving.
AlterNet
The Anacostia Waterfront Initiative
The Anacostia Waterfront Initiative will unite the city economically, physically, and socially as the center of 21st century Washington and a cornerstone of the National Capital Region. The destiny of the city as the nation’s capital and a premiere world city is inextricably linked to re-centering its growth on the Anacostia waterfront and making its long-neglected parks, environment, and infrastructure a national priority.
O.C. Homeowners Sued for Removing Lawn
In Orange, California, city codes require that front yards be 40% landscaping. After considerately adding drought-resistant plants and bark to save water, the city sued an Orange couple.
www.latimes.com
Great Miami Drinking Water Protection Project
The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) spearheaded a collaborative approach to protecting the largest groundwater resource in Southwest Ohio. This effort centered on planning the best way that the economically deprived Village of New Miami could best protect drinking water for itself and its neighbors. OKI had to work through hidden agendas, regulatory tensions, and political turmoil. The Ohio EPA finally endorsed the Drinking Water Protection Plan for the Village of New Miami. The grant partners shortly thereafter came to an agreement on the legislation crafted by the village council that passed a drinking water protection ordinance.
»
Planetizen picks
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- The Benefits of Creating Hybrid Zoning Codes
- The Appeal of In-Town Big Box
- The Growing Appeal of Drinking From the Toilet
- How and Why Does an Architect Become Famous?
- Could Good Design Have Prevented the Housing Crisis?
- NY Times Defends the Port Authority
- Expanding the Hong Kong Subway, One Blast at a Time
- Can An Electric Bike Replace A Car?
- The Growing Popularity of Women-Only Mass Transit
- Putting the Bloom Back on the Rose Bowl
Information Sources in Planning: Principles -- Michael Dudley
Optimal Transport Policy For An Uncertain Future -- Todd Litman
Faculty Using Web 2.0 to Show Images -- Ann Forsyth
Information Sources in Planning: Introduction -- Michael Dudley
Liveblog: ULI Rose Center Kansas City Study Visit -- Jess Zimbabwe
Volunteerism Plays Critical Role in Reaching World’s Millennium Development Goals
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University
Feb 10, 2012
Web Seminar: Economic Development in a Digital World: Home-Based Businesses and Virtual Workers
International Economic Development Council
Feb 08, 2012
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