Environment
Charging Ahead: Why EV Infrastructure Is Still Expanding Despite Market Uncertainty
Electrify America is forging ahead with major charging network expansions, confident that long-term demand will keep rising despite short-term EV market and policy disruptions.
What Housing Crisis?
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order that prohibits the construction of duplexes, triplexes or fourplexes from replacing single-family-homes destroyed by the recent wildfires in Pacific Palisades, i.e., the suspension of SB 9.
Delivering on the Promise of Parks
In LA County, even amid budget challenges, new parks are opening, targeted investments are being made in underserved communities, and long-term plans are guiding progress — demonstrating a sustained commitment to parks as essential infrastructure.
EPA Plans “Largest Deregulatory Action” in History
The agency plans to repeal a key 2009 rule that underpins the government’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
Even in California, Energy Affordability Trumps the Environment
A Democratic senator proposes to relax vehicle emissions standards in order to increase the supply of gasoline as the state's oil refinery capacity decreases, thus mitigating increases in gasoline prices in the state with the highest fuel prices.
Sea Level Rise is Drowning This Pacific Island Nation; They Have a Plan
The nation of Tuvalu has created an ambitious plan to relocate its entire population and preserve key cultural and historic resources as rising seas threaten to wipe it out within three decades.
The Osage Nation’s Effort to Clean Up Abandoned Oil Wells
The Osage Nation is leading a complex and long-term initiative to identify, plug, and remediate thousands of orphaned oil wells on its reservation, protecting land, water, and community health for future generations.
A Vision for the Future: LA County Releases Draft Sustainability Plan
Los Angeles County has released the draft 2025 OurCounty Sustainability Plan — shaped by community input — and is inviting public feedback through August 22 to help guide the County’s path toward a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future.
Kentucky Nonprofits Build ‘Higher Ground’ Homes
After destructive floods displaced thousands of Kentucky families, developers are building climate-resilient homes away from flood-prone areas.
Hanoi to Ban Gas-Powered Two-Wheelers, Later Cars
City officials hope that electrifying motorcycles, a ‘lifeblood’ of Vietnamese transportation, will have a positive impact on air quality and noise in the city’s downtown.
California Set to Increase Electric Truck Chargers by 25%
The California Transportation Commission approved funding for an additional 500 charging ports for electric trucks along some of the state’s busiest freight corridors.
21 Climate Resilience Projects Cancelled by the EPA
The federal government has pulled funding for at least 21 projects related to farming, food systems, and environmental justice to comply with one of Trump’s early executive orders.
Nature Starts Here: The Essential Role of Nature Centers and Outdoor Programs
Nature centers and outdoor programs serve as vital gateways to environmental education, equity, and stewardship — bringing people closer to nature and inspiring the next generation to care for the planet.
Opinion: California Clean Transportation Efforts Not Addressing Needs of Low-Income Residents
The state’s rebate programs for e-bikes and other light electric vehicles are too underfunded to reach many of the Californians who need them most.
Report: One-Fifth of Houston Homes in Flood Areas
The 2025 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report highlights the health risks posed by inadequate housing.
A Historic Investment in LA County’s Parks and Open Spaces
Los Angeles County has launched its largest-ever competitive grant program, investing $58 million to expand park access, enhance climate resilience, and support community-driven projects in the areas that need them most.
Planting for Change: How Trees Are Powering Climate Action
"Combating Climate Change with Trees" highlights how Southern California communities are strategically planting and nurturing urban forests to cool neighborhoods, improve air quality, and advance environmental justice.
California Advances Its 30x30 Conservation Goals
California is making significant progress toward its 30x30 conservation goals, but looming federal rollbacks and gaps in biodiversity protections could threaten the state’s efforts to protect lands and coastal waters by 2030.
Art in the Shade: Confronting Climate and Equity Through Creativity
Through powerful, multisensory installations, Roots of Cool uses art to illuminate Los Angeles’ climate and shade inequities, inviting visitors to imagine a more just, tree-filled future.
The Growing Challenge of Orphan Oil Wells in America
Orphan oil wells—abandoned, undocumented, and often leaking methane—pose a widespread environmental and climate threat across the U.S., and finding them is just the beginning of a costly and urgent cleanup effort.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
planning NEXT
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
