Environment
Chicago River Finally Getting Cleaned Up
Once reversed to keep its filth out of the drinking water, the Chicago River is finally getting cleaned up, on orders from the EPA. Now recognized as an asset, re-reversal and clean-up is predicted to infuse the city with $1 billion in investments.
New Urban Design Looks at Shared Spaces
In urban street design, a new movement known as 'shared spaces' has been emerging. This new movement "aims to reduce the dominance of cars by getting people and vehicles to share the road space," according to Walkonomics.
Redevelopment Project Sweeps The Bay Area
In San Francisco, almost one out of every six acres is slated to become parkland in the new urban infill projects in Mission Bay.
Africa's Urban Harvest
Faced with climate change and poverty, Africans are focusing on a new farming frontier: the cities.
"Environmental Architecture" at its Finest
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.
CEQA Lawsuit Delays Another Streetscape Improvement
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.
Smarter Solutions to Improve Our World
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.
CMG Landscape Architecture CEO on Multiple New Projects
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.
Mongolia Constructs Glacier To Cool Capital
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.
Can Electric Cars Help Automakers Reach 55 MPG?
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.
Top 10 Books - 2012
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.
Fort Collins Shakes Up the Planning Paradigm
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.
Does Living in a Poor Neighborhood Harm Your Health?
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.
From Rooftops to Rivers
The NRDC gives cities a report card on their stormwater management strategies. Philadelphia tops their list.
Environmenal "Cost of Development" Felt in Western PA Township
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.
The 20 Dirtiest Cities in the U.S.
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.
Bicycle Users Take Action Into Their Own Hands
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."
Planning's Limits and Strengths Identified at NYC Zoning Conference
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.
Could Artificial Glaciers Keep Your City Cool in the Summer?
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.
Breaking up Southern California's Love Affair With Imported Water
Costs to import water are expected to skyrocket in Southern California, making the Metropolitan Water District look for other sources. Groundwater anyone?
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
