Environment
Fire Safety Testing Paves the Way for Timber Towers
A new kind of building will soon rise in the United States: the wooden tower. Extensive testing by the US Department of Agriculture and the timber industry will soon make timber viable for high-rise tower construction.
Taking on Climate Change Without Wrecking Cities for the Poorest and Most Vulnerable
Rebuilding and repairing New York City after Hurricane Sandy shows how climate change can exacerbate existing equity problems and that such disasters must spur efforts to rebuild fairly, not entrench existing problems.
Mumbai Cuts Noise Pollution to Improve Health
Traffic police in Mumbai have launched a campaign to cut down on unnecessary honking by motorists in the city of Mumbai
The San Francisco Bay Area Voted for a Sustainable, Inclusive Future
We can’t simply rely on the federal government to solve the San Francisco Bay Area’s challenges. Time and time again, we have turned to local do-it-yourself solutions. This year, voters rolled up their sleeves and took matters into their own hands.
New Research Finds Climate Change's Fingerprint Everywhere
From the smallest scale to the largest, climate change has left no stoned unturned in its initial impacts on the planet and its species. Stay tuned.
Limitations on Rural Sprawl in Maryland Nixed
Changes in state law that rolls back regulations on septic systems could spark more residential sprawl in Maryland's rural areas.
London's Mayor Wants VW To Pay $3 Million In Lost Congestion Charge Tolls
Since the U.K. government has done nothing to make Volkswagen pay for Dieselgate, Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, is asking VW to come up with 2.5 million pounds ($3 million) to compensate the city and its residents for the 80,000 diesel cars fitted
Coal Train Lawsuit Settlement Leaves Unanswered Questions
A lawsuit in the state of Washington between environmentalists and BNSF Railway over the environmental impacts of coal trains has been settled out of court.
Researchers Discover Thousands of Abandoned Methane Wells in Pennsylvania
Methane wells are the dirty little secret of greenhouse gas emissions. A new study says they're a bigger problem than previously recognized in the state of Pennsylvania.
Following Study, Army Corps Needs More Study to Decide Dakota Access Route
As the protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline continue, so does the legal wrangling.
A Little Help Explaining the Stormwater Utility Concept
American Rivers has created a toolkit for implementing stormwater utilityies
Yet More Data on the Value of Trees to the Built Environment
A new report from the Nature Conservancy provides evidence of trees as a crucial component of public-health infrastructure.
The Future is Fiction
What will our cities look like in the year 2050?
How Cities Will Lead the Energy Future
Last month, politicians, energy executives, and energy experts met in Istanbul for the 23rd World Energy Congress. The event gives global leaders a chance to coordinate energy policy, discuss new ideas, and seek solutions to climate change
Trump Election Coverage Round Up (Planning Edition)
A compendium of the most discussed examples of news and commentary regarding the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States—but only what's directly relevant to the fields of planning and urban design.
Doomsday Prepping: Aspen Protecting Water Against Future Shortages, Increased Demand
Aspen, Colorado's City Council has voted to preserve the city's water rights with an option to dam local waterways if climate change or population growth creates a shortage of water in the future.
Coal's Future Still Unclear, Despite Trump's Campaigns Promises
It's only taken a week for the coal industry to get swept under the rug, to an extent, by Republican leadership in Washington, D.C.—not to mention their energy market competitors.
Study Detects a Slight Reprieve from the Effects of Climate Change
The Washington Post Reports a small bit of good news regarding climate change, produced on the same day as a large heap of bad news regarding climate change.
Evaluating California's 'Cash-for-Lawns' Rebate
At the height of the California drought, a group of water suppliers offered rebates for people willing to remove lawns. Now, it's time to figure out if the experiment worked.
How Environment and Energy Ballot Measures Fared in Tuesday's Election
More than the president was decided. Results are in on a Washington carbon tax, a California plastic bag ban, a Sunshine State restriction on solar panels, and on a ban on oil drilling in a California county that actually has oil drilling.
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
