Another week has passed, and some more exciting and interesting ideas have taken root in the world of urban planning.
Environment
Sprawl to Blame for Disappearing Grass
A recent study by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources says sprawl is to blame for declining natural resources in Chesapeake Bay.
Delmarva Now
U.S. Cities Going off the Bottle
The U.S. Conference of Mayors has resolved to phase out purchasing bottled water, not only for environmental reasons, but as a way of encouraging more financial support for municipal water systems.
AlterNet
Is New Building Ever Green?
Chevron is moving its New Orleans offices from downtown to a brand new, "eco-friendly" campus- opening up the discussion of whether new construction is ever greener than staying put.
New Orleans Business News
Goats, Sheep Get City Jobs as Landscapers
Cities like San José, CA are moving away from modern methods to keep grass down and going back to traditional methods like grazing sheep and goats.
San Jose Mercury News
Tornado Clears Way for LEED Platinum Building
The 5-4-7 Arts Center in Greensburg, Kansas gets a LEED platinum designation- evidence that the town, which was 95% destroyed by a tornado in May, 2006, is making good on its sustainable rebuilding plan.
Kiowa County Singnal
'EcoDensity' Comes Through in Vancouver
A major rezoning plan has been approved in Vancouver, including the toughest environmental standards in North America.
The Vancouver Sun
Rewilding the West
Eco-tourism in North Dakota? It's more likely than you may think, as conservationists, travel agents, and big landowners turn the dwindling population of the Great Plains into an asset.
The New York Times
Using Cellphone GPS, Researchers Prove We're Homebodies
GPS from cellphones is enabling exciting research into human behavior, but European studies show that our behavior is rarely exciting.
International Herald Tribune
Environmental Groups Warm to Trains
Railroads are overcoming decades of resistance from environmentalists by touting their greener aspects.
Wall St. Journal
Surging Fuel Prices Spur Green Backlash in Europe
With dramatically increasing fuel costs, European consumers formerly amenable to "green" taxes are turning against them, leading to fears that ambitious emission-control policies may not be achievable.
The Globe & Mail
'America's Most Endangered River'
American Rivers has named the Catawba River--which spans both Carolinas--as America's Most Endangered River for 2008, citing rapid development and outdated water supply management as factors in its ranking.
The State
Transit's Environmental Benefits
A recent study from the Washington Public Interest Research Group shows the environmental benefits of public transit.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A Practical Need for Utopianism
Wed, 02/06/2008 - 14:19
Who doesn’t love the Apocalypse? Society collapses, people run around in chaos, and we try to imitate the survival strategies culled from too many Hollywood end-of-the world blockbusters. Apocalyptic predictions have always been part of American culture, and why not?
Smart Transport Emission Reductions
Fri, 12/07/2007 - 13:46
Last week I attended the NREL Energy Analysis Forum, where leading North American energy analysts discussed current thinking concerning greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies, much of which involves emission cap and trade programs (as summarized in the report by Resources for the Future, "Key Congressional Climate Change Legislation Compared"). Similarly, a recent report, "Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: How Much At What Cost" evaluates emission reduction strategies according to their cost effectiveness.
Horsepower vs Horse Power and Sustainability
Wed, 10/24/2007 - 04:47
How sustainable is the internal combustion engine? The answer depends, in part, on your historical perspective. This point becomes startlingly evident in a recent article by UCLA doctoral student Eric Morris in the most recent issue of Access magazine. The magazine publishes accessible versions of academic research and is published by the University of California Transportation Center at Berkeley.
An Outbreak Of Beauty and Happiness?
Thu, 03/22/2007 - 11:48
In spite of my sense that we are heading pell mell into the gloom of global warming, catastrophic conflict and hopeless mediocrity, I’ve noticed a hopeful trend. Beauty and happiness have been rehabilitated from irrelevant to necessary. It may not be an avalanche, but proponents are showing up in unusual places: a book by an environmental conservationist, another by an historian philosopher, and a Mother Jones article about the economy. Can this portend a trend?
