Environment

Enormous Tidal Turbine Launches

The world's largest tidal turbine, designed to create electricity from tidal current, was unveiled in Scotland yesterday. The giant machine will be installed off the coast near Orkney later this summer.

August 15, 2010 - Atlantis Resource Corporation

El Paso's Smart Water Management

Despite a growing population and limited amounts of rainfall, the city of El Paso, Texas, has been able to effectively manage its water supplies -- and reduce use.

August 13, 2010 - Grist

The BP Cleanup and Environmental Justice

In the aftermath of the BP Gulf cleanup, tons of toxic oil waste are being sent to municipal landfills near communities with majority low-income and people of color populations.

August 11, 2010 - Buzz Flash

A City on the Pacific Garbage Patch?

Dutch conservationists are proposing to create a floating community built on top of the patch of garbage swirling out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

August 10, 2010 - Guardian

San Francisco Bike Plan Ban Lifted

A 4-year legal battle over whether SF's bike plan was in compliance with the state's environmental law has been settled - the city has the go-ahead to resume planning and implementing new bike facilities designed to increase bike riding.

August 9, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

214% More Farmers Markets

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture says that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of farmers markets in the United States, with a 214% increase since 2000.

August 9, 2010 - Grist

Is Water Control Out of Control in SoCal?

Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay, says that the Los Angeles Regional Water Control Board is the least environmentally friendly board in decades.

August 8, 2010 - The Planning Report

Texas Company To Export Alaskan Water to India

Within 6 to 8 months, Texas-based S2C Global Systems will begin exporting pure Alaskan mountain water all the way to India. The water will then be distributed via tanker to markets in south and west Asia and the Middle East.

August 6, 2010 - Circle of Blue

Rem Koolhaas Produces Plan To Run Europe On Shared Renewable Energy

OMA proposes to redesign a whole continent along energy saving lines. Called Roadmap 2050, it is a plan that "combines the belief that drastic intervention is required to mitigate climate change, with a desire to give meaning and power to the E.U."

August 5, 2010 - The Guardian

Artificial Trees Could Be Climate Key

Carbon dioxide is one of the most widespread greenhouse gases produced by humans. Trees can absorb it, but release it when they die. Scientists are looking to build artificial trees to do the job permanently.

August 5, 2010 - National Geographic

Dam Raises Questions About Habitat Restoration and Destruction

This feature from Miller-McCune looks at the debate over a dam near Stanford University, and whether it should be removed to restore the ecosystem the area once housed, or maintained to protect the ecosystem that it spawned.

August 5, 2010 - Miller-McCune

Rethinking New Orleans' Levees

Three design firms offer new ideas for redesigning New Orleans' levees.

August 5, 2010 - Good

Garden of Eden Site Being Restored

A marsh in Iraq drained by Saddam Hussein and believed by some to be the site of the Garden of Eden is being restored -- despite dangerous risks.

August 3, 2010 - Der Spiegel

Oil Spill in Michigan Raises Questions About Regulation

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued repeat warnings to Enbridge Energy Partners, owner of a pipe that leaked an estimated 1 million gallons of oil into southwest Michigan's Kalamazoo River, to address the safety of its system.

August 2, 2010 - The Detroit Free Press

Will President Obama's E.V. Tax Credits Only Subsidise The Rich?

At $41,000 the new Chevrolet Volt is a "rich man's ride." Charles Lane asks why is President Obama offering federal tax credits of $7,500 to help better-off American's buy expensive cars?

August 2, 2010 - Slate

The Neighborhood Carbon Challenge

A neighborhood in Corvallis, Oregon, is the pilot site of a neighborhood-wide "carbon challenge" in which residents try to reduce their carbon footprint.

August 1, 2010 - Corvallis Gazette-Times

Seattle Could Ban New Houseboats

The city has hundreds of houseboats on its waterways, but new shoreline regulations could prohibit any new houseboats.

August 1, 2010 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

New Jersey's Forests Disappearing

A new study shows that the amount of urban development in New Jersey now outnumbers the state's forest acreage.

July 31, 2010 - New Jersey Star-Ledger

Solar Power Gains Cost Advantage Over Nuclear

Diana Powers reports that the cost of solar photovoltaic panels has declined "to the point where they are lower than the rising projected costs of new nuclear plants, according to a paper published this month."

July 30, 2010 - New York Times

The Double O's Were the Hottest Years on Record

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Report published on Wednesday found that the last decade has been the hottest on record, and clearly points to the conclusion that our planet is warming.

July 30, 2010 - The New York Times

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.