Environment

Better Resource Management Helps Cities Go Sustainable

"Integrated resource management" practices could help cities operate more sustainably, according to this piece from Miller-McCune.

April 23, 2011 - Miller-McCune

Building A Healthier Environment

The built environment plays a big role in public health, and the professions involved in creating the built environment need to pay more attention to building healthy places, argues Clark Manus, president of the American Institute of Architects.

April 22, 2011 - Architect

Sharing Water in an Age of Shortages

As water resources become increasingly important in the American West, new tactics for sharing among farmers, environmentalists and urban officials are showing how arid areas can withstand shortages.

April 22, 2011 - High Country News

The Need for 'Blue Urbanism'

In a world heavily composed of and reliant on water, how we treat our oceans should be a major aspect of the way we think about planning and living on this planet, according to Timothy Beatley.

April 22, 2011 - Places

City Attempts to Find "The Right Price for Parking"

This week the city of San Francisco will launch its SFpark Program in an attempt to appropriately price street parking and reduce traffic due to people cruising for available parking spaces.

April 21, 2011 - StreetFilms.org

Solar Power Mandate Could Endanger Cultural/Ecological Sites

With a major push by the federal government to achieve 80% clean energy by 2035, the California Energy Commission is moving quickly to approve permits. Sensitive Native cultural sites are threatened by the speedy process, say many involved.

April 21, 2011 - Mother Jones

Edward Glaeser and Green Cities

Another look at Edward Glaeser's provocative new book Triumph of the City, this time by reporter Mary Newsom and with a focus on Glaeser's opinions on the city and the environment.

April 19, 2011 - One Earth

Legible London Gets People Walking

New pedestrian signs installed throughout London aim to encourage more people to walk by providing them with information on walking times and local attractions.

April 18, 2011 - This Big City

EPA Moves Regional Head Quarters to the Suburbs

The EPA is moving its regional headquarters from downtown Kansas City (Kansas) to a suburb 20 miles outside the city, a move which "could nearly triple transportation carbon emissions associated with the facility," according to Kaid Benfield.

April 18, 2011 - Sustainable Cities Collective

LEED for Healthcare Debuts

U.S. Green Building Council has launched another refinement of its certification system aimed specifically at green building for healthcare.

April 18, 2011 - Earth Techling

Green Doesn't Mean Bird-Friendly

The FBI's Chicago offices are LEED certified, but the 10-story building is also a killer: at least 10 birds a day careen into its windows. A conservation group helped the Feds get bird-friendly.

April 17, 2011 - The Chicago Tribune

Breathing Better In NY's Pedestrian Plazas

Manhattan's pedestrian plaza's are associated with increasing vitality, reducing congestion, and now this new study shows, improving air quality be reducing concentrations of nitrogen oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

April 16, 2011 - Gothamist

D.C. Tops in Green Building

Washington D.C. has built the most "green" buildings within its greater region, according to a new survey.

April 16, 2011 - The Washington Post

CA Law Raises Renewable Portfolio Standard From 20% to 33% By 2020

The law signed yesterday by Governor Jerry Brown was touted by US Energy Secretary Steven Chu as "a model for other states."

April 14, 2011 - The Los Angeles Times

Planning and Childhood Health

Marissa Ramirez, a planner, biologist, and former cancer researcher, writes about the connection between the neighborhoods children grow up in and their health later in life.

April 13, 2011 - Sustainable Cities Collective

New Study: Solar Panels Are "Contagious"

A new study out of Stanford University found that individuals are more likely to install solar panels if their neighbors have them.

April 13, 2011 - GOOD Magazine

Miami's Latest Boom: Bicycling

With the aggressive implementation of a new master plan, an expansion of grassroots organization-led rides, the Bike Miami Days ciclovia, and a new bike sharing system, Miami and its surrounding municipalities are finally embracing urban cycling.

April 13, 2011 - Miami Herald

Inside the Nuclear Ghost Towns of Japan

This piece fromDer Spiegel takes you inside the abandoned cities of Japan that were forced to clear out amid threats of nuclear meltdown.

April 12, 2011 - Der Spiegel

Defining "Resilient Design"

The word "resilience" suffers from a vagueness of meaning shared with words like "green" and "sustainability", writes Michael Mehaffy, who sets out to clarify this meaningful term for architecture and planning.

April 11, 2011 - New Urban Network

Longer Semis May Save the Environment

A new study in the U.K. says that extending the trailers on eighteen-wheelers could reduce the emissions from those vehicles by as much as 13 percent.

April 11, 2011 - AutoBlog

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.

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.