Energy
New Energy Rating System for Chicago Buildings
The city will evaluate all buildings over 50,000 square feet and make the energy performance ratings and information easily accessible.
Offshore Wind Farms That Produce as Much Power as a Nuclear Plant
Offshore wind plants with huge turbines are generating tremendous quantities of power. Farms in China, the Netherlands, and the U.K. currently produce between 400-600 megawatts of electricity.
Study Promotes 'Better Biofuels' by Focusing on Waste Sources
There are many environmental benefits to bioenergy, particularly when the feedstock comes from waste, as opposed to agricultural products that could be used for food. A new study applies life cycle analysis to four types of waste matter.
Despite Trump Administration Policies, Wind Power Still Growing
Technological improvements and market demand have buoyed the sector against the Trump adminsitration’s attacks.
Three Ways Cities Can Combat Extreme Heat
As temperatures rise, there are some relatively simple changes cities can implement to cut cooling costs and deal with spells of extreme heat.
Good and Bad News in California's Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory
Overall greenhouse gas emissions in California dropped 1% in 2017, according to the inventory by the California Air Resources Board, which includes a 9% drop in emissions from electricity generation and a 1% increase in transportation emissions.
Denmark's Waste-to-Energy Plant: A Global Model of Sustainable Design
Bettina Kamuk, global market director for Ramboll, explains how a Copenhagen waste-to-energy facility meets air quality and emissions standards while providing low-carbon energy and recreational activity to the surrounding community.
Los Angeles County Sets 2050 Carbon Neutrality Target
Land use and transportation planning will play key roles in an effort by Los Angeles County to achieve carbon neutrality in 30 years.
Land Use the Subject of Latest IPCC Report
Not urban land use, but in the literal sense: land used to produce food, graze livestock, supply drinking water, grow trees, and sequester carbon. As the climate warms and the population grows, crop yields will decrease and land will be degraded.
Renewable Natural Gas Makes Inroads in California, Oregon, and Missouri
What is expected to be the nation's largest dairy biogas operation opened in the Central Valley. To the north, Gov. Kate Brown signed the nation's first bill to establish goals to add renewable gas to pipelines, and pigs in Missouri also made news.
California Takes Step Toward Replacing Gas with Electricity in Buildings
Two weeks after Berkeley became the nation's first city to outlaw natural gas lines in new buildings, the California Public Utilities Commission voted to update an old regulation to allow funding for 'fuel switching' from gas to electric appliances.
Repowered Southern California Natural Gas Power Plant Will Have Lots of Green
Most of the aging 350-megawatt Grayson Power Plant, operated by Glendale Water & Power, will be retired by 2021. The city's utility district has struggled with how to repower it. A compromise reached last month ensures low emissions and reliability.
Reno Action Plan Calls for Emissions Reductions and Climate Resilience
The Reno City Council this week approved a new, 165-page "Sustainability and Climate Action Plan."
New Jersey Power Company Goes Carbon-Free
PSEG, the largest and oldest power company in New Jersey, pledges to completely eliminate its carbon emissions by 2050.
How the Green New Deal Could Transform the Built Environment
If it emulated and adapted the scope of its predecessor, the Green New Deal could transform the country in fundamental ways, with builders, planners, and architects playing central roles.
Shuttering a Large Coal Plant: A Tale of Two States
Environmentalists in California are upset that Los Angeles will build a new 840-megawatt natural gas plant to replace a 1,800-megawatt coal plant. The coal plant has been crucial to the economic development of Millard County, Utah.
Another Berkeley 'First': Banning Natural Gas Lines in New Buildings
On Tuesday night, the City Council of Berkeley, Calif., unanimously voted to ban natural gas infrastructure from new buildings starting next year, the first city in the U.S. to pass such an ordinance. Fifty cities in the state could be next.
More EV Charging Coming to San Francisco Private and Public Parking Facilities
To reach an ambitious net-zero target for transportation emissions in San Francisco, Mayor Breed and two supervisors introduced legislation to require large parking facilities provide electric vehicle charging for 10% of spaces.
French 'EcoTax' Targets Air Travel to Benefit Rail Network
The Minister for Transport called it "part of the answer to climate change" – charging air travelers a modest fee for international trips that originate in France and investing the revenue in greener alternatives such as rail transport.
Tesla’s Renewable Energy Vision—Big Benefits Without Major Lifestyle Changes
Tesla’s fancy cars generate much of the company’s revenue, while its solar energy products are decidedly less flashy.
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.
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
