Environment
Florida Prepares for Irma: Building Codes, Cranes, Evacuation, Storm Surge
As Irma leaves the Caribbean and heads for Florida, with landfall expected this weekend, there is a lot to worry about: New building codes will be put to test, fuel to evacuate is in short supply, and cranes have not been dismantled.
Mapping the Paths of Hurricanes Recorded Since 1851
All yesterday's hurricanes.
Making the UN's Sustainable Development Goals Great Again
The United Nations' ambitious set of goals have proven unwieldy, with some commentators saying they represent "all things to all people." Reorganizing and prioritizing them could help.
A Hurricane Response Lesson: Disrupt the Cycle of Futility
How do we disrupt the cycle of rebuilding things exactly as they were before—if slightly hardened—after increasingly powerful weather events?
Columbia River Gorge Resilient After the 30,000-acre Eagle Creek Fire
Good fire news from Oregon offers some relief from several weeks of scary environmental news from around the country.
Rural U.S. Turning On to Wind Power
Rural counties and cities around the United States are figuring out that it pays to do business with renewable energy companies.
The Changing Paradigm of Stormwater Management
In the past, stormwater management has been about flood control. The future of stormwater, however, is in capturing, treating, and recharging water supply, according to this article.
Connecting the Dots Between Air Pollution and Congestion
Some of the San Francisco neighborhoods with the worst air quality are also the San Francisco neighborhoods with the most development.
Caribbean Islands Brace for Irma as Florida Prepares
As Houston and East Texas recover from Hurricane Harvey, an even stronger hurricane has formed in the Atlantic Ocean, headed to the Caribbean Sea, and likely Florida by this weekend, though there is uncertainty where it goes next.
Houston and San Francisco: Urban Development Patterns Gone Awry
With the media rightfully pointing to Houston's sprawling urban development patterns that exacerbated the epic flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, Paul Krugman also finds fault with cities where urban development is too tightly regulated.
EPA's Scott Pruitt Dismisses Global Warming Connection to Houston Flooding
While any one event can not be attributed to global warming, climate scientists have long acknowledged a connection to extreme weather. Pruitt, a climate denier, dismisses any such connection with the amount of rainfall from Hurricane Harvey.
AP: 13 Texas Superfund Sites Threatened by Post-Harvey Flooding
The Associated Press broke big news yesterday about the scale of the environmental threat facing neighborhoods and communities located near toxic waste sites in Texas.
Rebuilding Houston After Harvey: 'Bigger and Better'
Those were the words President Trump expressed before his first trip to Texas while Hurricane Harvey was ravaging Houston. But experts worry that the rebuilding won't be better due to the recision of an Obama-era environmental regulation.
Oregon Launches EV Rebates Funded by Auto Sales Tax
Oregon is one of five states that has no sales tax, but that will change on January 1, with Gov. Kate Brown's signature on a landmark transportation funding bill that applies a half-cent sales tax to auto sales and increases gas taxes by 10 cents.
The World's First LEED Platinum City: Washington, D.C.
In 2011, Washington, D.C. adopted the Sustainable D.C. plan, establishing the capital as a leader in green building and sustainability planning. In 2017, the city is the first in the world to achieve a new mark of distinction for its accomplishments.
Houston's Drainage Problem
Houston received over 50 inches of rain from Hurricane Harvey in five days. While no city could survive that drenching unscathed, Houston was not prepared to handle the floods due to decades of neglect of stormwater management planning.
Can Zoning Mitigate Flooding? Yes...And No
Houston's flooding might be mitigated by land use regulation- but not the type of regulations that most cities have.
Hurricane Harvey a Sober Reminder That Resilience Requires Mitigation and Adaptation
Wishing Houstonians continued strength, fortitude, and safe passage this week, Hazel Borys considers resilience.
U.S. Drivers Continue Mileage Increase for Sixth Consecutive Year
Americans have increased their driving every year since 2011, and the first six months of 2017 were no different, increasing 1.6 percent compared to last year, according to data released Tuesday by the Federal Highway Administration.
How Much Is Too Much for a State Electric Vehicle Rebate?
Battery electric vehicles (without gas tanks) are eligible for a $2,500 California rebate, on top of the federal $7,500 tax credit. A bill before the state Senate would quadruple it.
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
