Environment
Portable Gardens Move Into Urban San Francisco Space
The Yerba Buena District Street Life Plan starts off its 10-year life to improve public space by placing six mobile gardens in parts of the district that have more concrete and asphalt than vegetation, reports John King for San Francisco Chronicle.
Pollinating Insects Find Refuge in Cities
Despite wildlife declines caused by factors such as Britain's urban sprawl, researchers suspect that cities are better habitats for pollinating insects because they have a greater number and diversity of flowers, reports Rebecca Morelle for BBC.
Blacks & Latinos Care More About Clean Air, Climate Change
Fox News Latino reports on a Public Policy Institute of California poll that shows both clean air and climate change rank higher as a concern for Latinos and blacks than fowhites and Asians.
The Fields' Efficiency: How Innovation Outshines the Sun
At a two-acre site located 80 miles west of Ann Arbor, an engineering major at the Univ. of Michigan installed the state's largest solar farm with movable trackers that increase the amount of energy captured by almost 10%.
54.5 MPG by 2025
In a remarkable show of cooperation between the auto industry and the administration, the two agreed upon the highest increase since the advent of fuel efficiency standards. Current standards require 35.5 mpg by 2016 - safeguards exist for problems.
Dam Removal Proposed to Save Salmon
Lawmakers are likely to consider a controversial plan this summer to remove a series of dams on the Klamath River to help restore endangered salmon populations.
Our River, Ourselves
The moribund state of the Los Angeles River reflects the zeitgeist of the city that it runs through, says The Economist. A mile wide but an inch deep, revitalization proposals are too conceptual at best and too feeble at worst.
Singapore's Green Plant Revolution
As Singapore's population booms, officials are working through plans to help the city absorb its people but also provide them with adequate green space.
Fruitful Legal Battles Over Water Supply
In Kern County, Calif., trendy fruits like pomegranate are at the center of a number of contentious lawsuits over water resource management.
Nissan Leaf, You Had Me at Hello
In the opening monologue of The Colbert Report, late-night comic Stephen Colbert mocks what appears to be another installment of "The Value of Zero" campaign for the all-electric, zero-emissions Nissan Leaf.
Andres Duany Promotes "Agrarian Urbanism"
A new book by New Urbanist architect Andres Duany offers a blueprint for adding agriculture at all levels of development.
The "Urban-Vegetal World" of the Future
An exhibit in Paris presents elaborate, lush visions of "La Ville Fertile", or "The Fertile City."
Urban Trees = Cleaner Air
Not that it's a real surprise that trees clean the air, but a new study shows that greenery in cities can have a significant effect on air quality.
The Tortoise vs. Solar Power
Gov. Brown, a former AG who filed many lawsuits to protect the environment, sided with a renewable energy producer in a lawsuit to stop a huge solar thermal power project in the Mojave Desert on behalf of the threatened desert tortoise.
A Liter of Light: Cheap, Sustainable "Bulbs" for Informal Dwellings
In the Philippines, "eco-entrepreneur" Ilac Diaz is spreading an idea from MIT using 2-liter soda bottles and bleach to bring a 60 watt light bulb's worth of light into the building below.
Community Gathers Around Guerrilla Coffee Table
Los Angeles Designer Julie Kim thinks the city is missing out on an opportunity at public transit hubs to create an environment that promotes interaction. So, Kim spruces up a bus stop with a coffee table and flowers and video records the results.
Band of States Struggle Through Drought
From Florida to Arizona, 14 states are in the midst of a major drought. The effects have been far-reaching and devastating to both the environment and economy.
MIT Develops New Fuel, Dubbed "Cambridge Crude"
A post at The Polis Blog asks the question, "how might Cambridge Crude change cities?"
Richard Florida Explains "The Geography of How We Get to Work"
In a piece from The Atlantic Richard Florida discusses the factors that shape Americans' commuting patterns. Some of his assertions are counter to commonly accepted explanations for commuting behaviors.
Health Concerns For Urban Cyclists
A new Canadian study should be of interest to any urban cyclist concerned about his/her health. The study shows what is apparent to most cyclists already - smoking tailpipes, especially from diesel trucks and buses, can have serious health impacts.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
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
