Environment

Cedar Rapids Flooding

Cedar Rapids Unveils Sustainability Plan

Cedar Rapids is prioritizing achievable actions with the new iGreenCR Action Plan.

December 13, 2019 - The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)

Rendering

How Peoria Is Putting Green Infrastructure to Work

Peoria's new stormwater farm takes the pressure off its outdated combined sewer system. It's part of a larger effort by the city to align green infrastructure with social equity goals.

December 12, 2019 - Next City

Grimshaw Architects

How Can Architecture Firms Address the Climate Crisis? Here's One Response

Design firm Grimshaw is developing a Climate Emergency Taskforce. Here's the thinking behind the effort.

December 12, 2019 - The Architectural League of New York

King Tides

Living With Record Tides in Florida's Key Largo

South Florida's annual "king tides" were especially brutal this year. Residents of one Florida Keys community have experienced what it's like to live on the front lines of sea level rise.

December 12, 2019 - The New York Times

Utah

Great Salt Lake, Shrinking From Water Diversions for New Development, Spreads Dust Around Utah

New research is quantifying the environmental consequences of land use patterns and water diversions in Northern Utah.

December 12, 2019 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Wildfire Smoke

How Suburbs Can Help the Climate Fight

Rethinking the "brutalscape" of infrastructure that supports the suburbs could be the key to the evolution of suburbs.

December 11, 2019 - The Conversation

Cadillac Escalade

'Biggest Carbon Loser' Contest Launching in Seattle

KUOW is taking applications for participants in a "biggest carbon loser" competition.

December 11, 2019 - KUOW

Philadelphia Park

1,000 Football Fields Worth of Trees Lost in Philadelphia Over a Decade

Philadelphia's new "Tree Canopy Assessment" both records the damage of the past decade and makes the case for a new path forward when in comes to prioritizing the city's tree canopy.

December 10, 2019 - WHYY

Climate Change

A 'Cascade' of Climate Tipping Points

Scientists are increasingly concerned that climate tipping points might "cascade" into multiple heating effects that does irrevocable damage to the planet.

December 10, 2019 - Yale Environment 360

Hoover Dam Downstream

California's Use of the Colorado River Projected to Hit a Record Low

Water use is going down in California, and the state is leaving more of the Colorado River in the watershed, for now.

December 10, 2019 - John Fleck

California State Water Project

New Oil and Gas Drilling in California May Be Subject to Moratorium

Gov. Gavin Newsom pleased environmentalists by doing what his predecessor, Gov. Jerry Brown, refused – halting all new oil and gas fracking and placing a moratorium on another extraction method linked to a massive oil spill in Kern County.

December 9, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

New Orleans, Louisiana

Public Art and Resilience Planning

A neighborhood in New Orleans, badly damaged after Hurricane Katrina, is providing a test bed for an innovative new approach to urban planning.

December 9, 2019 - Next City

Atlanta Ocean

Sea-Level Rise Report: Bad News for South Florida

A climate change conference in Southeast Florida this week delivers bad news for communities on the coast in South Florida and in the Florida Keys. Some of those communities won't be saved as the receipts for climate change come in.

December 7, 2019 - Miami Herald

Missoula

Water Concerns Follow New Development in Montana

Sprawling subdivision development in Montana is popping up in former agricultural land, pressuring water resources and leading to some legal controversy.

December 6, 2019 - High Country News

Brookline, Massachusetts

Winter Friday Fun: A Map of the Best Sledding Spots

There's a map of Boston that points out all the best sledding spots. It seems like there are millions of kids living in other parts around the country that could benefit from a sledding map of their hometown.

December 6, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Climate CHange

Infographic: The Cumulative Carbon Emissions of Every Country Since 1750

The U.S. is exceptional when it comes to carbon emissions—that much is indisputable.

December 5, 2019 - Vox

Air Pollution

Air Pollution, Visualized

The New York Times created a visualization of air pollution that allows comparisons between local conditions and the worst air pollution in the world.

December 5, 2019 - The New York Times

Louisville, Kentucky

How Can Cities Adapt to Rising Temperatures? Change the Weather

Brian Stone of the Georgia Institute of Technology writes about a recent article he co-authored in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

December 4, 2019 - JPER

Solar Power

L.A. County Plans for Electrification

Los Angeles County's Minh Le discusses the county's priorities for moving forward with recent technological advancements in solar and energy storage.

December 4, 2019 - The Planning Report

Berkeley, California

Another Ambitious Creek Daylighting Planned in the San Francisco Bay Area

The East Bay Regional Park District is planning to daylight Alder Creek in the Oakland Hills. Native fish and other species will benefit.

December 3, 2019 - Bay Area Monitor

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.