Recycling

Old wood demolition waste, from destruction or renovation of buildings in a container on a work site in a street with a house. Wooden beams to be recycled into new building materials

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.

May 1, 2023 - Wired

Nederlandsche Bank building, Amsterdam

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.

October 14, 2022 - The New York Times

Man dropping cardboard box in blue curbside recycling bin

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?

August 11, 2022 - Devin Partida

A Black woman works in a shop to prepare electronics for recycling..

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.

September 23, 2021 - Mark Tirpak

Garbage Truck

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.

January 9, 2020 - Politico

Phoenix, Arizona

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.

November 14, 2019 - Arizona Republic

Valencia, Spain

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.

August 6, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Waste Stream

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.

April 23, 2019 - Next City

recycling

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.

April 4, 2019 - The Nib

Cans

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.

March 19, 2019 - The New York Times

recycling

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.

March 1, 2019 - The Guardian

New York Department of Sanitation

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.

February 27, 2019 - Kayla Matthews

Governor Andrew Cuomo

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.

January 23, 2019 - The New York Times

Trash Can

Nudging People to Keep Cities Clean

Philadelphia looked at how interventions can change recycling and littering behavior.

January 8, 2019 - Apolitical

Insulation

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.

January 4, 2019 - The New York Times

San Francisco Ferry Building

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.

September 5, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Ofo Bike Share

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.

August 15, 2018 - Jalopnik

Waste Stream

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.

May 16, 2018 - The Wall Street Journal via MSN Money

Kid on Train

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?

March 19, 2018 - Michael Lewyn

Trash

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.

August 8, 2017 - Medium

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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.

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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.