Environment

Faced with climate change and poverty, Africans are focusing on a new farming frontier: the cities.

November 28, 2011 - OnEarth

Sarah Williams Goldhagen profiles The Sea Ranch; despite its failure as an alternative to suburban sprawl, it is considered a model for its environmentally sensitive, "sublimely beautiful" development.

November 27, 2011 - The New Republic

The California Environmental Quality Act, a landmark 1970 environmental law now considered an obstacle to smart growth by some urban planners, has claimed another victim in a project that seeks to reduce car use while promoting biking and walking.

November 23, 2011 - Palo Alto On-line

The next breakthrough in architecture may not come from the likes of Frank Gehry, according to Alex Goldmark, but from a chemist because they are the ones developing new compounds that aren't just stronger, or cleaner, but also smarter.

November 23, 2011 - This Big City

Kevin Conger is CEO and one of the founding partners of Conger Moss Guillard (CMG) Landscape Architecture. A recent redevelopment project was labeled as a "climate positive." Conger explains how it meets those standards along with other projects.

November 22, 2011 - THE DIRT

The Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator will begin construction this winter of an artificial glacier to cool the city next summer and provide melt water for drinking and irrigation.

November 21, 2011 - The Atlantic

Consumers still have "range anxiety", the fear that electric cars won't get them to and from their destinations on one charge. NPR looks at the attitudes that are still keeping people from investing in electric vehicles.

November 21, 2011 - NPR Morning Edition

Planetizen’s tenth annual list of the best books in urban planning, design and development ranges from a crowdsourced compendium of ideas for upgrading New York City's built environment to a personal report from the streets of Karachi.

November 21, 2011 - Michael Dudley

Like many cities, Fort Collins, CO is cash-strapped, but its plans are no longer dominated by handling sprawl. With development pressure out of the picture, a democratic blueprint for connecting residents to culture as well as space has emerged.

November 20, 2011 - The New York Times

A study conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the 1990s found that living in poor neighborhoods can actually hurt your health.

November 19, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

The NRDC gives cities a report card on their stormwater management strategies. Philadelphia tops their list.

November 18, 2011 - EarthFix

Eliza Griswold profiles the economic, health, and environmental troubles of Amwell Township, PA, after an oil company moves in and begins fracking for natural gas.

November 18, 2011 - The New York Times Magazine

California has 7 of the 20 cities with the poorest air quality, according to a list complied by Forbes. Bakersfield, which has 60 days of unhealthy air a year, takes the top spot for its hot and dusty weather and proximity to oil fields.

November 17, 2011 - Forbes

In 2007, Mexico City's government promised that it would build 300km of bike lanes around the city by 2012. According to Jimena Veloz, "the city still only has 22.2 km because most money is allocated to car infrastructure."

November 17, 2011 - This Big City

Though held in recognition of zoning's 50th anniversary, the conference details future social, economic, and environmental challenges. Raymond Li reports on both the positive and negative points of discussion brought up on Tuesday.

November 17, 2011 - International Business Times

They're about to try it in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, creating giant "naleds" of ice that would melt slowly due to the extreme cold preserved inside.

November 16, 2011 - BLDGBLG

Costs to import water are expected to skyrocket in Southern California, making the Metropolitan Water District look for other sources. Groundwater anyone?

November 16, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Notification from the EPA has allowed Chicago to adopt new standards that "will help to further the transformation of the Chicago river system from sewage canal to valuable recreational and economic asset," says Regional Administrator Susan Hedman.

November 16, 2011 - Environmental Protection

For Washington D.C., ASLA polled members to develop a new "comprehensive framework" connecting sustainability with economic development.

November 16, 2011 - American Society of Lanscape Architects

Despite cancelling the ARC Tunnel project last year, New Jersey may build an alternative tunnel using U.S. Senate funding.

November 15, 2011 - TheCityFix.com