Many planners and even American Planning Association (APA) members are unaware that the APA has special member bodies called Divisions. These are essentially issue-focused member committees within APA that contribute to policymaking, develop conference sessions, publish newsletters, and generally act as focal points for like-minded APA members.
Sustainability
Cities Call Sustainability a Top Priority
Five out of every six major U.S. cities claims sustainability is one of its top priorities.
Reuters
Vancouver's Sustainable Olympic Village
With goals of LEED-certification and plans for reuse after the games, Vancouver's Olympic Village is being called a model for event-based sustainability.
Architectural Record
Nature Guiding Green Building
Builders, architects and designers are increasingly looking to nature for guidance as they try to build greener and more sustainably.
The Oregonian
Small Town Sustainability: Prospects for Collaboration in a Global Age
Slow Cities? Swedish sustainability? Collaborative networks of small towns across the world are coming together to share knowledge and drive innovation, particularly when it comes to sustainable living. Heike Mayer and Paul L. Knox of Virginia Tech are authors of a new book on small town sustainability.
Thirteen Strategies for Sustainability
How is Kansas City to make itself sustainable? This blog offers 13 strategies, one posted a day, from experts in different fields.
One KC Voice
Can Trade Reform Beget Economic Recovery, Environmental Sustainability?
Apropos to the debates dominating the G20 conference in London, former U.S. Trade Rep and Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor argues for trade as the centerpiece of economic and environmental sustainability.
The Planning Report
Low Impact Development
Thu, 04/02/2009 - 11:03
A grad student in our program at Ball State told me several months ago that he wanted to do his creative project (a thesis alternative) on “low impact development.” His particular interest was in what we called “natural drainage systems” when I worked with the planners and landscape architects at Rahenkamp, Sachs Wells in Philadelphia 30 years ago. I told him that it was a great topic and suggested some contemporary and older resources, including an excellent 1975 publication by the Urban Land Institute entitled Residential Storm Water Management. I also told the student that the big issue with such systems is maintenance.
The 'Outdated Ethic' of Iconic Architecture
Many of the iconic structures designed by 'starchitects' are extravagant in their use of materials and the energy required to assemble them, writes Jack Diamond.
The Globe and Mail
Innovative Regional Government
Envisioning a form of government more efficient to strategically invest scarce local, state and federal dollars is at the heart of such a proposal.
Albany
Taking Cities Beyond the Greenwash
The idea of sustainability is growing up, and as concerns about the environment take hold in cities from the bottom up, some are calling for a more sophisticated approach to "green" city development, write Anthony Flint and William Shutkin.
Citiwire
Unsustainable Humanity
Bill Rees, creator of the ecological footprint concept, warns that economic growth needs to slow down greatly if we want to maintain a civilized life on Earth.
Vancouver Magazine
The Small City: Reconsidered, And Ready to Be Sustainable
Catherine Tumber writes in defense of the small city, long neglected in policy and revitalization, but poised to be an excellent resource for sustainable living.
Boston Review
Building a Sustainable Suburb
In Rohnert Park, CA, developers are turning a former industrial site into a green community that is almost completely energy independent. But can a project like this fit into an auto-oriented suburb?
WorldChanging
Two bad words
Mon, 02/09/2009 - 11:02
Often, participants in public debates use words to mean things very different from their common-sense meanings, in order to manipulate the public’s emotions. Two examples in the field of urban planning come to mind.
Inland Empire Seeks Solutions to Foreclosure Crisis
Ron Loveridge, the mayor of the Inland Empire's largest city, Riverside, details how regional and local leaders are working to recover from the effects of the foreclosure crisis.
The Planning Report
Friday Funny: Sustainability Buzzword Generator
Need a sustainable slogan to show your green cred? Look no further than Building Magazine's Sustainability Buzzword Generator.
Building
Creating Sustainability in Oregon
The master plan for Salem, Oregon's Pringle Creek Community is ambitious, says Jim Fitzsimons, incorporating mixed-use, sustainable development with the community-enhancing aspects of old city neighborhoods.
Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built & Natural Environments
Personal Rapid Transit for San Jose Airport?
The City of San José, CA is reviewing proposals from 18 companies to create a PRT system connecting the airport to other transportation modes.
ABC KGO TV 7 - San Francisco
Growing People And Jobs While Shrinking Traffic
As New York City faces its worst financial crisis in 2 decades, a NYC D.O.T. study was released showing that from 2003-2007, the increase in jobs and people was accompanied by a slight decrease in traffic due primarily to increased transit usage.
The New York Times
