Environment
Banner Year for Electric Vehicle Sales
U.S. sales of plug-in electric vehicles, including those with internal combustion engines, increased by 81 percent in 2018 over 2017. But if you remove the best-selling Tesla Model 3 from the mix, the increase drops to 11 percent.
Progressive Carbon Pricing Policy Should Address Social Equity
Putting a price on carbon emissions is widely viewed as an effective tool to reduce emissions. It can also be applied to help those who stand to lose the most from climate change, thus enabling a socially just transition to a low carbon economy.
California's Largest Utility Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
PG&E announced that it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, facing $30 billion in liability after two years of catastrophic wildfires in the state of California.
Wanted: A More Proactive Approach to Stormwater Investment
As hurricane seasons get more destructive, a less reactionary approach to stormwater infrastructure investment may be needed.
Friday Eye Candy: 300 Years of Land Use Transformation
The history of the earth since 1700 has been a history of human land use.
U.S. Carbon Emissions Increased Last Year After a Three-Year Decline
The sobering news comes from the Rhodium Group, a research firm that tracks CO2 emissions. The preliminary estimate is the third in two months to show an increase in 2018, attributing it to an improved economy and Trump's regulation rollbacks.
Massachusetts Tops California in Emission Reductions
California and Massachusetts use the same name for climate change legislation, Global Warming Solutions Act, and set the same target date for reductions, 2020. Both achieved their targets 2016, but the Bay State had a tougher goal to meet.
Nudging People to Keep Cities Clean
Philadelphia looked at how interventions can change recycling and littering behavior.
Report Tracks Transport Emissions Trends and Raises Transport Policy Ambition
The Sustainable Low Carbon Transportation ( SLoCaT) Partnership recently released the "Transport and Climate Change Global Status Report," a resource to help raise ambition on climate sustainable transportation policy actions.
Texas Ideal for Solar and Wind Energy
If coal use phases out in Texas, renewable energy could very likely pick up the slack.
Opinion: Close National Parks During the Shutdown
The consequences of allowing the public free access to national parks without any supervision or maintenance operations are to great a risk, according to a former director of the National Park Service.
Fighting Climate Change With an Income Tax
There's been a lot of talk about the Green New Deal, but not that much is known about it. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who is promoting it, explained the program on 60 Minutes on January 6.
Climate Gentrification in Miami
With the threat of sea level rise, homes on higher ground in Miami are becoming increasingly desirable. But they are located in low-income communities of color, and residents are facing rising housing costs and displacement.
Want an Earthquake Warning? There's an App for That
A new earthquake warning system is in place in the city of Los Angeles.
Meeting the Challenge of Feeding 10 Billion People Sustainably in 2050
With world population to grow by about 2 billion by 2050, and with more people eating higher on the food chain as nations develop economically, can world agriculture reduce its carbon footprint? A new World Resources Institute report shows how.
New York City Polystyrene Ban Took Effect New Year's Day
Thanks to two recent New York State court rulings, disposable food and beverage containers will no longer be made from polystyrene in the nation's largest city. The ban was originally proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in February 2013.
Master Plan Strives for a 'Seamless' Chattahoochee River for the Atlanta Region
A comprehensive study to revitalize the Atlanta regional waterfront, dubbed the Chattahoochee RiverLands project, is now underway.
End of Seattle Freeway and Tunnel Is a Green Opportunity
A community initiative says demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and closure of the Battery Street Tunnel offer a chance to turn a series of green infrastructure ideas into reality.
Washington State Budget Makes Puget Sound Orcas a Priority
Southern Resident orca numbers are distressingly low. The proposed budget would fund a number of measures to help the whales.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
