Energy
Oil Bonanza In Western Hemisphere
New technology is allowing massive investment in oil drilling in North and South America, from Canada to Argentina. This article centers on the investment in the region's two largest economies, U.S. and Brazil, and its effect on energy geopolitics.
North Dakota's Oil Boom
The Bakken formation, which lies under North Dakota and Montana, could contain almost 11 billion barrels of oil. Towns like Williston, ND are exploding in population and have the lowest unemployment in the country.
Latest Government Shutdown Threat: Disaster Relief vs. Clean Car Manufacturing Subsidy
Once again, a government shutdown looms after Sept. 30 over funding for disaster relief. House Republicans insist that the additional spending must be off-set with spending cuts, and their target is a subsidy for electric cars and batteries.
Environmentalism, Renewable Energy and NIMBYs
Jennifer Runyon asks if environmentalists are doing the right thing by pushing regulations that make the cost of building renewable energy projects prohibitive.
Free Plug-Ins for Electric Vehicles Likely Won't Last
Free charging stations for electric and hybrid-electric vehicles in Colorado likely won't last due to the high cost of construction of the facilities.
Untippable, Enclosed, Electric Motorcycle in the Works
Segway meets Vespa: car designer Daniel Kim is developing a scooter-sized vehicle that is fully-enclosed and fully-electric, with a range of 150 miles.
Obama's Renewable Energy Blunder
The President went out of his way to support Solyndra's cutting-edge solar technology. When the company declares bankruptcy this week, Jon Stewart anticipates the gaffes by Obama's opposition in a very funny segment on The Daily Show.
NYC Residents Suggesting Locations for New Bike Share Stations
Earlier this week, New York City officials announced a new bikeshare system that will be available to New Yorkers in 2012.
Montana Landowners Bring Wind Power Project to a Standstill
Phil Taylor of the New York Times writes about an ensuing battle between a Montana wind power transmission project, backed by eminent domain rights, and Montana landowners, fighting for cultural conservation of their land.
Rethinking Cities "From the Ground Up"
Michael Totty of The Wall St. Journal says cities need to be rethought to be leaner and greener. His list of suggestions includes district-level heating systems, micro wind turbines, and walking and biking.
Creating Energy from Subway Motion
Like systems used in electric vehicles like the Prius, an energy company think it could attach flywheels to subway trains and use the kinetic energy of their movement to generate energy that would feed back into the system.
Fake City in Middle of Nowhere to Be Used as Simulator
A tech firm is building a simulated city across 20 miles of New Mexico desert as testing grounds for new green technologies and renewable energy.
Historic Preservation Jobs Are Local
With Missouri's Historic Preservation Tax Credit on the chopping block, Citiography outlines seven reasons the state should keep this program. Creating local jobs is just one.
Refineries' High Hopes For Diesel Fuel
It may not be apparent to American motorists, but the U.S. oil refinery industry is ailing. Reduced VMT, mandated ethanol use, and escalating vehicle fuel efficiency standards caused a decrease of gasoline consumed. Diesel may revive the industry.
Will Obama's Support of Advanced Batteries Encourage Sprawl?
The Obama administration has pumped $2.5 billion in stimulus funds into the advanced battery industry, with the goal of creating manufacturing jobs. But will supporting green cars mean supporting sprawl in the long-term?
"Living Building" Vision Comes to Life
In a bold move to secure its place as the bastion of sustainability, Seattle sets out to build a series of the "greenest commercial building on earth."
Melbourne Ranked as Most Livable City
With high scores in five broad categories, Melbourne, Australia received the highest spot in livability rankings from The Economist's research unit.
Skyscrapers and the World of Tomorrow
Are skyscrapers the way to achieve great density, or a form of retro-urbanism that should be retired? With a debate simmering in the planning world over the energy efficiency and urban necessity of tall towers, Planetizen's staff decided to determine the answer once and for all.
Ebenezer Howard's "Garden City" Revisited
Nina Rappaport of UrbanOmnibus explores the history of the urban factory, examining the social, economic, and environmental benefits of the modern vertical factory industry.
Mouse Utopia, and the Density Scare
John B. Calhoun wrote in the 70s about studies he'd conducted that looked at how mice would react when "overcrowded". Since his utopias often turned ugly, he (and many others) extrapolated the results to humans, giving density a bad name.
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 Tustin
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
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
