Recycling
The Link Between Circular Building, Affordability, and Sustainability
A growing movement seeks to reduce waste in the construction industry and focus on the long-term impact of building materials.
The Cradle-to-Cradle Approach to Building
The circular economy. Cradle-to-cradle. The regenerative economy. Whatever you call it, an approach to building that eliminates waste would transform the next generation of the built environment.
Why Urban Areas Need Increased Access to Recycling
In most residential areas across the United States, recycling is encouraged and offered as a way for residents to sustainably dispose of certain materials. But how many residents actually participate in their local recycling efforts?
Curbing Electronic Waste One George Foreman Grill at a Time
An Interview with East Atlanta's CoCo The Geek, who saw an increase in household electronic waste during the Covid-19 pandemic and decided to do something about it.
New York City’s Trash Problem
The city had ambitious goals to reduce waste, but millions of tons of garbage are still sent to communities around the country each year.
Rising Costs Could End Phoenix's Municipal Recycling Program
The city of Phoenix will either have to raise the rate for waste removal int he city or cut programs like recycling.
The Sustainability Challenges of E-Scooters
Scooters have helped diversify the mobility landscape, but companies need to better address the recycling and reuse process and the environmental impacts of defunct devices.
Striving for a Zero-Waste Future
A number of U.S. cities have set ambitious zero-waste goals, but reaching targets has been challenging. Turning waste into a viable commodity is one strategy to get materials out of the waste stream.
An Illustrated Explanation of the Crisis in Recycling
A global shift in the market has upended the recycling industry. The story of recycling's past provides direction for the future.
Recycling Is Cancelled
Trouble in the global market means trouble at home when it comes to recycling. Municipalities are having trouble paying the extra cost for recycling programs as China stops accepting U.S. waste.
Recyclables Headed to Incinerators or Landfills
China's decision to halt imports of most recyclables from the United States has caused turmoil. With few markets for their recyclables, Philadelphia is sending half of them to a waste-to-energy incinerator in Chester not designed to burn them.
Waste Management Best Practices (And Their Impact on Urban Planning)
Urban planners can play a role in ensuring the best possible waste management practices are implemented whenever possible.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo Proposes Plastic Bag Ban After Killing New York City's Bag Law
The Democratic governor proposed a ban on single-use plastic bags in his state-of-the-state address on Jan. 15. Nearly two years earlier, he signed a bill that prevented New York City from charging for bags as the District of Columbia and Boston do.
Nudging People to Keep Cities Clean
Philadelphia looked at how interventions can change recycling and littering behavior.
New York City Polystyrene Ban Took Effect New Year's Day
Thanks to two recent New York State court rulings, disposable food and beverage containers will no longer be made from polystyrene in the nation's largest city. The ban was originally proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in February 2013.
San Francisco Wants Its Ambitious Zero-Waste Initiative to Go Global
In an effort to address climate change, San Francisco has a plan to get residents and businesses to do more than just recycle and compost.
Huge Stacks of ofo Bikes Sent to Metal Recycler
A hill of yellow metal and black tires sits in a Dallas recycling facility, Mayor, Mike Rawlings is not happy.
U.S. Recycling Markets in Free Fall After China Pulls Import Plug
China has stopped purchasing the recyclables that millions of Americans place curbside on recycling days, upending the industry. Recyclables are already directed toward landfills as domestic markets are sought. Berkeley, Calif. may go a novel route.
The Moral Foundations of Public Support For Environmentalism and Public Transit
Why do green transportation policies attract less intense support than environmentalist policies related to waste and litter?
Designing a Better Trash Chute
Programs that make folks pay for garbage services based on how much they throw away can cut down trash in landfills. Designers are looking for ways to adapt these programs to multiunit buildings.
Pagination
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.