Environment
Architecture Projects with a Regional Mindframe
An increasing amount of architecture projects in the U.S. are taking regional concerns like water and energy production into consideration.
Overflow Plant Aims to Reduce Sewage Contamination
A new sewage plant has opened in New York that hopes to reduce the amount of sewage overflow when storms overwhelm the city's combined sewage and stormwater system.
Chilean Dam Project Approved Amid Controversy
A plan approved to build a $7 billion dam in Chile has some worried about the loss of land, but others excited about looming economic opportunities.
Sea Levels Rise Along Pacific Coast
Climatic shifts and periodic weather patterns are bringing sea levels up along the Pacific coast, which is causing many scientists concern about how coastal regions will be able to react.
Following Up on Dire Predictions About Water in the West
25 years after the publication of Cadillac Desert, scientists have scrutinized the predictions of the hallmark history of water in the Western U.S. and find that its dire warnings are not far off.
Can Different "Greens" Mix?
Governing Magazine identifies a trend: States consolidating their various environmental agencies (parks, wildlife, energy, etc.) to less than stellar effect.
Florida's Legislature Torpedos Growth Management in the State
The Senate passed two bills late last week that essentially killed growth management in Florida, eliminating the Dept. of Community Affairs and repealing a law from 1985 that required developers to assess impacts.
The Passion (And Rationality) Of Ed Glaeser
Harvard professor Edward Glaeser's Triumph of the City presents cool-headed analysis that largely confirms the theories that Jane Jacobs first advanced 40 years ago, says Adam Christian.
What Downtown LA Would Like Without Cars (VIDEO)
Three architecture students from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo teamed to make this video which aims to show what an auto-free downtown LA could be.
Community-Focused Sustainability Programs Thrive Amid Budget Cuts
Sustainability-focused programs offered at the federal level have received overwhelming support from communities and protection from budget cuts, even in an age of tightened budgets.
Environmentalists and New Urbanists Battle Over Proposed Development
Plans to redevelop former salt ponds in the San Francisco Bay Area have pitted environmentalists against New Urbanists.
The Urban Coyote, Reconsidered
Researchers are now discovering that the urban coyote plays a valuable role in restoring the food chain for the benefit of birds and other species.
New Design Guidelines for U.S. Embassies
The US State Department Bureau of Overseas Building Operations plans to release new guidelines for design excellence to inform the architecture of embassies around the world.
Crowdsourcing Street Trees
A new online tool uses the power of crowdsourcing to "map, inventory, and preserve the Philadelphia urban forest."
Getting Off the Water Grid in Seattle
Buildings in Seattle, including a school, are trying to remove themselves from the urban water grid. More could soon follow.
Recession-Defying Green Roofs
Despite the continued struggles of the U.S. economy, green roofs have proliferated with the market increasing 30% from the previous year.
Bikenomics and the Energy Crisis
Writing for Grist, Elly Blue explains that part of the solution to the oil/energy crisis in the United States is to approach the issue as a transportation issue, not a geopolitical one. She especially advocates for increased bike use.
Another CEQA Lawsuit Prevents Streetscape Improvements
The improvements involve a lane reduction for a 3 1/2 block business district in Palo Alto known as California Avenue. The four-lane street is within a "pedestrian-transit oriented district" due to a Caltrain station at the end of the avenue.
Skyscrapers of the Future
The 2011 eVolo Skyscraper Competition turned up some unusual and futuristic designs for future skyscrapers and other structures, from a reimagined Hoover Dam to a Ferris Wheel-shaped wind turbine.
Planning Sidewalks in an Age of Climate Change
A new report on sidewalks and climate change in Seattle prompts a call to urban planners and municipal officials to take greater care in installing sidewalks in neighborhoods.
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
