Environment
EPA Causes Massive Spill, Discoloring a Colorado River
The Environmental Protection Agency finds itself in a peculiar place. Normally it investigates spills caused by the private sector. Now it's cleaning up a massive spill it caused while investigating a leak at an abandoned mine in southwest Colorado.
Katrina 'Ten Years After': and the Band Plays On
The 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is upon us. Many of us city planners invested whatever skills we thought we had, plus a heavy dose of passionate naivete, to recovery planning in the wake of the 2005 storm.
Connecticut Shoreline Rail Vulnerable to Floods
Long stretches of Connecticut's "lifeblood" shoreline rail line lie in the path of rising seas and future floods. While moving the tracks further inland is prohibitively expensive, a resilience plan is still needed.
Common Issues Facing Cities—Aggregated from 100 'State of the City' Speeches
Around the country, issues related to the field of planning dominate the public discussion of the "state of the city."
Somerville Reaches for Carbon Neutrality by 2050
The city has launched a program of collaboration with the green tech industry.
Meet the Woman Guiding California to 100% Electric Vehicles by 2030
One of the most influential environmental regulators may be someone you never heard of. She is Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board—twice over. She is pushing automakers to exceed the current 2025 goal for electric vehicles.
Utah's Disappearing Salt Flats Cause Controversy
A well-attended racing event was cancelled for the second year in a row on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Organizers are worried the salt flats might never be the same.
The Great New York Tree Census
Inside access to a huge volunteer effort underway in New York City to account for the condition of an estimated 600,000 street trees—where every single one of the city's trees counts.
President Obama's Clean Power Plan Is Nation's Strongest Climate Initiative
Just over a year ago President Obama's draft Clean Power Plan was unveiled. That proposal has been finalized and the president promoted it at a press event on Monday. The final rule is both stronger and more lenient that the original proposal.
A Really, Really Big Fuel Cell Vehicle Possibly Coming to the Bay Area
This vehicle would be larger than a Hummer, a bus, and even an 18-wheeler. Then again, it would not travel on land. The proposal goes by an appropriate acronym: SF-BREEZE. Think fresh air over the bay.
Urban Heat Waves Likely to Hit Harder
Yet another climate change side effect: more frequent urban heat waves. And because urban temperatures tend higher than rural ones, cities should be ready to protect the most vulnerable.
Blog Series Explores the 'Heart of the Arctic'
Hazel Borys chronicles an Arctic expedition adventure, rife with environmental insights. If you ever wondered what it felt like in the olden days to receive dispatches from explorers off in distant mysterious lands, maybe it felt something like this.
Renewable Diesel Gets Huge Boost from UPS
Renewable diesel, a biofuel that differs from biodiesel by the feedstock used and its chemical makeup, making it indistinguishable from petrodiesel, is a small but growing industry. The announcement from UPS was welcome news for three companies.
Foundations for First U.S. Offshore Wind Power Towed to Construction Site
Last week the foundations for five wind turbines were towed into place off Block Island, 13 miles east of Rhode Island in the Atlantic Ocean. Scheduled to go online in 2016, they will be the first offshore wind turbines in the United States.
Op-Ed: Newer Model Density Falls Short of its Promise
The general principle is simple: more density equals lower prices and less environmental impact. But suburbia's imprint is deep, both on cities themselves and on how we expect to inhabit them.
San Antonio Ramps Up Air Quality Efforts After Poor Showing
San Antonio's soon-to-be-adopted air quality plan will focus on transportation to reduce the city's air pollution.
Community is Common Ground for Liberals and Conservatives
Supporters of New Urbanism may live across the political spectrum, but they all want to live in traditional neighborhoods.
Improving Mental Health May Be As Easy As a Walk in the Park
A new study offers evidence that walking in a natural setting is more beneficial to mental health than walking in an urban setting.
New App from the U.S. EPA Maps Environmental Justice
A publicly available web tool allows access to maps that overlay environmental impacts and the populations they impact (or the populations that manage to avoid such impacts, for that matter).
Biofuels Make Headways into Jet Fuel Market
Jets no longer run solely on fuel derived from petroleum, thanks in part to Colorado-based Red Rock Biofuels. They signed contracts with FedEx and Southwest Airlines for "renewable jet fuel" that is derived from wood-based biomass.
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
