Energy

Newport, Rhode Island

Public Supports East Coast Climate Pact—More Than Governors

Public comments were largely favorable regarding the 12-state program intended to reduce transportation emissions by using a cap-and-invest system, but governors are cautious due to an expected effect on gas prices.

March 6, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Indianapolis Bus Rapid Transit

Range Anxiety: Electric Buses Still Aren't Ready to Scale

Money intended for electric buses in Indianapolis will instead be spent on diesel buses.

March 5, 2020 - Indystar

Electric Vehicle Charging

Electric Vehicles Quickly Improving Climate Impact

Electric vehicles and internal combustion automobiles emit vastly different sums of carbon, and electric vehicles are quickly widening the gap between the two options as the electricity generation industry cleans up its act.

March 2, 2020 - Union Of Concerned Scientists

Electric Train

TOD and Zero-Emission Trains: Can You Guess Where the Controversy Is?

The nation's first fuel cell electric train will make its debut in Southern California in about four years, but it's also associated with a controversial ballot measure on the station sites that voters of Redlands will decide on Super Tuesday.

February 24, 2020 - KVCR

Presidential Campaign

Scrutinizing the Reality of Bernie's Energy and Climate Plans

CNN host Fareed Zakaria questions whether the goals of Sanders' ambitious Green New Deal are realistic.

February 24, 2020 - The Washington Post

Condos Smart Growth

Smart Growth America Promotes the Transportation and Climate Initiative

Former Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening penned a local opinion for The Washington Post in support of the TCI to advance funding of alternatives to driving and ask readers to shape the controversial initiative by submitting comments by Feb. 28.

February 24, 2020 - The Washington Post

Air Pollution

Charting the Climate Change Crisis

Analysis of global greenhouse gas emissions data points to the sectors, activities, and countries that are the biggest contributors.

February 23, 2020 - The City Fix

Exurban Commute

A Path for California to Get to Zero Carbon...And Below

A new study from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory evaluates strategies to achieve former Gov. Jerry Brown's goal of carbon neutrality by 2045. Unlike other reports that study emission reductions, it evaluates "negative emissions" strategies.

February 20, 2020 - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

Opinion: California State Water Department Needs to Step Up in the Fight on Climate Change

California's water resources are under threat from climate change, and the state's water agency must take action to face the challenges.

February 16, 2020 - The Sacramento Bee

Sierra Nevada Melted

Remembering the Weather of Winters Past

The measurable effects of climate change are a tangible reminder of trends over time that otherwise can be hard to recall.

February 14, 2020 - Outside

Electric Car Charging

2020 Energy Infrastructure Predictions

Planners can expect changes in the energy industry to influence preparations for the future of cities and communities.

February 9, 2020 - Kayla Matthews

North Carolina Coast

Southern States Lagging in Addressing Climate Change

Cities in the South are facing a multitude of climate change impacts, but many have been slow to respond to the growing threats.

February 6, 2020 - The State

Seattle Ferry

Washington Attempts to Adopt a Cleaner Cars and Clean Fuels Programs

A Pew Stateline article tackles the challenges of reducing carbon emissions from transportation compared to electricity generation and looks at recent initiatives announced by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee aimed at decarbonizing transportation.

January 21, 2020 - Pew Stateline

Palm Springs

Overcoming the Obstacles of Land Use for Renewable Energy

Renewable energy, both wind and solar, takes up a lot of space in places that aren't accustomed to industrial development. Policymakers need strategies and tactics for overcoming the inherent land use challenges presented by renewable energy.

January 21, 2020 - Brookings

Planned City

Exploratory Scenario Planning, Explained

Planners don't need fancy software to prepare for an uncertain future. Exploratory scenario planning promises a more aware, adaptive, and resilient planning profession.

January 17, 2020 - Sonoran Institute via Vimeo

UC Irvine Anteater Express

Can Hydrogen Make a Comeback?

While hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are much less popular than their battery-powered siblings, California remains committed to the zero-emission technology, with three state agencies investing in and monitoring its progress.

January 16, 2020 - CALmatters

ng1_3717

New Jersey Has a Plan to Shift to Clean Energy, but Questions Remain

The state’s energy plan focuses on the move to renewable energy, but specifics about how that will happen and what the costs will be need to be pinned down.

January 16, 2020 - NJ Spotlight

Solar and Wind Energy

The Congressional Budget Cut Clean Energy Tax Breaks

The consequences of the Congressional budget approved at the end of 2019 can be measured in millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

January 12, 2020 - Inside Climate News

New mexico Power

Decline in Coal-Fired Power Reduces U.S. Carbon Emissions in 2019

The energy sector produced ten percent less carbon emissions in 2019 than the previous year—the largest drop in decades. Still, the decline of the coal industry is not enough to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Accord.

January 7, 2020 - Inside Climate News

Traffic

Opinion: Car Culture Will Shift in the Next Decade

Cars and vehicle emissions are undoubtedly central to the climate change problem. The solution, however, might not be cleaner vehicles but rather a drastic change in our relationship to automobiles and driving.

January 6, 2020 - The Guardian

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.