Environment
Cautious Optimism in the Wake of COP21
With the historic climate agreement reached in Paris at COP21, what implications will it have on the architecture, engineering and design industries? Doggerel spoke to U.S. Green Building Council Chair-elect Fiona Cousins for her perspective.
More Colorado Cities Banning Public Smoking
Something is missing from a lot of the walkable downtown business zones in cities around Colorado: tobacco smoke.
NYC's SoHo Gets a 'Noxious' Use
SoHo, a Manhattan neighborhood full of luxury apartments and a median income of $111,000/year, must accept a new facility that includes a garage for sanitation trucks. Why, and how will it test the city's commitment to infrastructure design?
Michigan Governor Finds Himself at Center of Flint Water Crisis
A case is made that Gov. Rick Snyder's handling of the lead-tainted water in Flint, Michigan is analogous to former President George W. Bush's bungling of the crisis resulting after Hurricane Katrina touched-down on the Gulf coast in August 2005.
Lack of Congressional Support Kills Landmark Klamath River Deal
There might not be a drawing board to go back to after an agreement that would have removed four dams along the Klamath River died in Congress.
How the Internet of Things Helps to Bridge the Digital Divide
Internet access and digital skills unlock the Internet of Things (IoT). Applications such as telecommuting, virtual meetings, app-enabled public transport, smart cars, and smart logistics can curb emissions and create sustainable growth.

Let's Talk Water
Water has been an integral part of the designed landscape for centuries, but is it time to reevaluate its relevance?
Struggling Coal Companies Might Stick States With Clean Up Costs
The practice of self-bonding, or allowing coal companies a "pass" on setting aside funding for mine clean up, is coming back to haunt some states as the coal industry struggles.
Wise Use Movement Galvanizes Oregon Wildlife Refuge Occupation
In an news analysis for The New York Times Sunday Review, Alan Feuer sees the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon as another struggle between the Wise Use movement, which began is the 1980s, and the mainstream.
Peterborough: a City Shaping Its Own DNA
Peterborough is the winner of the 2015 World Smart City Award.
VW Scandal Obscures Diesel's Real Problem
It's easy to focus on the sensational headlines based on the fraud committed by Volkswagen, but doing so masks the deadly and ongoing problems of diesel emissions plaguing the world's densely populated cities.
How New York Became the First City in the World to Plant One Million Trees
A victory lap for one of the organizations spearheading the MillionTreesNYC program, which after eight years of effort succeeded where many other cities have failed.
As El Niño Arrives, Los Angeles Needs to Update its Stormwater System
"The hard lesson here is that infrastructure systems built to make cities resilient in one era may not serve them well at all in another era," writes Jon Christensen.

Walkable Winter Cities: Feasibility While Freezing
"It's too cold to walk here" is often the response to the subject of livability in northern climes. Hazel Borys hails from the third coldest city of its size on earth and talks walkable winter cities.
U.S. Department of Justice Bringing the Hammer Down on Volkswagen
A public apology wasn't going to cut it for Volkswagen after the car company was revealed to have cheated on emissions testing.
Imagining Oceanscrapers
Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut has released a series of futuristic and amazing drawings that envision what sustainable, floating cities could possibly look like.
One Geologist Predicted Floods in St. Louis Months Before They Struck
Hindsight is 20-20, but so too sometimes is the foresight of geologists. That was the case prior to the flooding that struck St. Louis this December.
Diluvial Days Coming to South Florida
Miami Beach is drafting its own textbook for how to respond to sea level rise. The New Yorker provides in-depth coverage of a region under siege by the sea that surrounds it.

Ways to Think About Sprawl—and to Critique It
What motivates sprawl? It's more than just automobile infrastructure.
Air Pollution Forces Italian Cities to Enact Serious Driving Restrictions
Unusually mild and dry weather in much of Italy has worsened air quality so much that city governments are acting to reduce emissions from one of the chief sources of air pollution by enacting odd-even license restrictions on driving.
Pagination
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont