Environment
N.J. Town Considers 'Radical Surgery' to Prevent Future Floods
With Galveston, Texas as their model, city leaders in the Jersey Shore town of Highlands are considering whether to raise the entire downtown as a bulwark against storm damage and rising seas.
Fuel Efficiency Standards Vs. Gas Tax Increases: No Contest for Reducing Emissions
In this op-ed, MIT climate research scientist Valerie J. Karplus contrasts raising CAFE standards with gas taxes. While the former may be more politically expedient, she shows how it is less effective in reducing emissions, oil reliance and driving.
Are Visions of a Thriving Chicago River Just Pipe Dreams?
Engineering marvel, polluted sewer, magnet for development - the Chicago River has worn many hats in its day. For its next role, can it become an "example of environmental innovation and ecological stewardship"?
Bad Air Bedevils Utah
For a state that prides itself on being a nature lovers' paradise, a growing struggle with hazardous air pollution threatens Utah's very identity. Dan Frosch examines the factors contributing to the epidemic, and some of the proposed solutions.
Carbon Trading: A Tale of Two Continents
California's second auction saw a 35% increase in the price paid for a carbon pollution permit to $13.62, while prices at the much larger European market continue to fall and permits go unsold. The price there recently fell to $6.46.
Off-shore Wind Energy: Bogged Down in Regulations
Creating a centralized authority for approving infrastructure projects can help the U.S. to meet environmental goals, experts say.
Making Better Places: Nine Lessons From Iceland
Using a set of mid-February photographs from Iceland, Chuck Wolfe describes scaled expressions of urban settlement and transport in Iceland and derives principles for building better places.
Smart Growth Approach Urged in the UK
An alliance of organizations in the United Kingdom has agreed on a policy statement promoting smart growth alternatives to current policies.
Biofuel Boom Threatens Life on the Plains
A new study finds that high commodity prices and a biofuels rush have led to rates of grassland loss in America's northern Plains “comparable to deforestation rates in Brazil, Malaysia, and Indonesia.” Brad Plumer discusses the impacts.
China Announces Plan to Tax Carbon
Part of a larger strategy to address its numerous environmental ills, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases will begin taxing carbon emissions, possibly as early as 2015.
Can D.C. Become America's 'Healthiest, Greenest and Most Livable' City?
With the release of his new "Sustainable D.C." plan, Mayor Vincent Gray has outlined dozens of initiatives "that he hopes will vastly change how residents and visitors experience and travel across the city," reports Tim Craig.
The Evolving Science of Design
Researchers are beginning to understand how the human brain is hard-wired to respond to certain patterns, colors, and proportions. The result is "a revolution in the science of design," says Lance Hosey, and "most people...aren’t even aware of it."
Innovative App Calculates the Benefits of Planting Trees
With more than 10,000 downloads in the U.S., i-Tree calculates the environmental and economic benefits of planting trees.
Could a Federal Carbon Tax Put Money in Your Pocket?
A carbon tax based on Alaska's Permanent Fund, where tax revenues are returned to residents, is the model for legislation proposed by Senators Boxer (D-CA) and Sanders (I-VT) in response to Pres. Obama's call for Congress to act on climate change.
The Latest Barometer of Gentrification: Eco-Friendly Dry Cleaners
"Green", "natural", or "organic" dry cleaning; if you live in TriBeCa or have visited an affluent neighborhood recently, you may have noticed this trend. Elizabeth A. Harris looks at the new sign that "your rent is about to rise."
Realigning Nature and the City
Using two paradigms addressing synergies of nature and the city, Chuck Wolfe contrasts gradually merging animal and human habitats in the United States with calculated greening of city spaces overseas.
Putting the 'Rapids' Back in Grand Rapids
After more than a century of altering the flow of the Grand River, Grand Rapids' namesake whitewater has been largely eliminated. A new proposal backed by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder would "put the rapids back in Grand Rapids."
Building a Better Dune
As the destructive force of Hurricane Sandy demonstrated, all sand dunes are not created equal. But as coastal communities start to rebuild their defenses for the next storm, they're trying to close the gap with Mother Nature.
London Plans Low Emissions Zone; Too Little, Too Late?
With its congestion pricing scheme, London took drastic steps to reduce the number of vehicles entering the city. With a new plan announced by Mayor Boris Johnson, the city is moving to limit the impact of those vehicles on the environment.
Burned by Sandy, Hoboken Seeks to Become Model for Hurricane Resilience
The low-lying city of 50,000 across the Hudson River from Manhattan was badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Mayor Dawn Zimmer wants to city to serve as a model for how to develop a uniquely urban approach to extreme storm preparation.
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
