Energy
Asking What Comes Next, as Maryland Tries to Move Beyond Sprawl
McKay Jenkins looks at the challenges confronting Maryland as the state tries to reckon with the devastating consequences of the era of sprawl and prepare for an additional one million people over the next twenty five years.
Great Lakes Turbines Get Second Wind
Just months after a proposal to build the first wind farm to be located offshore on any of the Great Lakes was shelved, five neighboring states have struck a deal with the Obama administration to develop offshore wind farms more quickly.
Will the Near Future be a Harsh Climate for Suburbs?
In this excerpt from her new book, "Before the Lights Go Out" author Maggie Koerth-Baker warns of the converging crises of peak oil and climate change on suburban areas.
The Pivotal Parallels of Water and Energy
Nate Berg examines the nexus between water use and energy use, and the need to bring this frequently overlooked connection to the attention of planners and designers.
U.S. Moves Toward Energy Independence
You'd never know it from the hype on rising gas prices, but the U.S. is moving toward that elusive goal of oil independence due to the convergence of two factors: falling oil consumption and increasing domestic production over the last half-decade.
Oil Drilling Myths Exposed By Paul Krugman
New York Times economics writer and Nobel laureate Paul Krugman analyzes two major reasons for increasing oil drilling - reducing unemployment and lowering gas prices, and describes why it does neither.
Harvard Study: Cheap Natural Gas Decreased 2009 Climate Emissions
A new report attributes a 9% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's power plants in 2009 to the relatively cheap price of generating electricity from natural gas versus coal.
Guinness Goes Green
In honor of St. Patrick's Day, Kaid Benfield profiles the sustainable practices of the most Irish of emblems, Guinness Beer.
Red White and Green?
Jeffrey Spivak reports on the federal government's pioneering efforts in net-zero building design and construction.
Getting To $2.50 Gasoline - A Marketplace Final Report
In this second and final look at how to achieve Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich's promise of $2.50 gas, Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal reports on a subsidy strategy discussed in The Atlantic. Earlier he presented a price controls approach.
Is Europe's Emission Reduction Too Much of a Good Thing?
The Economist reports on what Europe's tanking carbon market means for efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the continent.
Can The U.S. Really Become Energy Independent?
The short answer is yes, according to this NPR report that includes interviews with energy experts. The boom in shale fracking for oil and natural gas and the zeal of small energy companies is to credit. But UC Berkeley's Don Kammen has his doubts.
Sustainability To Be a Centerpiece of Japan's Rebuilding Effort
Having just returned from a United Nations-led tour of disaster-ravaged areas of Japan, Warren Karlenzig reports on efforts across the region to rebuild along smart growth and green economic development models.
Wind Power Projects Lift Off in NYC
After not partaking heavily in wind power, New York is advancing plans to generate wind power on several fronts, reports Mireya Navarro.
Why Is Germany Backing off Its Green Energy Promotion?
In one of the countries leading the world in green energy adoption, a program to support solar energy has become a victim of its own success, reports Bjørn Lomborg.
Generating Savings with Cogeneration Power Plants
More than a century after it was first introduced, Sarah Laskow examines the many advantages of using, and reusing, energy in cogeneration power plants, a technology whose time has come.
Fracking Ruling May Result In More Local Bans
In what may turn out to be a landmark ruling, the right of Dryden, a New York township adjacent to Cornell University to use its zoning code to ban the controversial drilling technique known fracking was upheld by the N.Y. State Supreme Court.
Clean Energy is Victim of Payroll Tax Agreement
Apparently the payroll tax agreement reached on Friday in congress did not extend all tax provisions being considered. The deal allowed a number of tax breaks, including those for wind and solar energy producers, to expire, reports Brad Plumer.
Illegal Palestinian Solar Installations Set For Demolition
Over the past two years, German funding and Israeli philanthropy led to the construction of solar installations for Palestinians living in "Area C" in the West Bank. Now Israel says the panels are illegal and wants them demolished.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
