Environment
A Worrying Future for Urban Water
Climate change is expected to create major shifts in the amount of water and rainfall in cities in the near future. A recent symposium in Philadelphia on urban water delved into this emerging problem.
Making Venice Work
The city of Venice, Italy, is a complex, historic, watery, tourist-filled place. This video explains how the city works.
Appreciating and Encouraging Urban Trees
This piece from The Vancouver Sun looks into the controversy surrounding the removal of trees in the city, and what would have to be done to begin encouraging more tree plantings in the city.
Wave Energy Farm Irks Surfers, Fishermen
A proposal to build thousands of wave energy generators off the coast of Southern California has environmentalists, fishermen and surfers up in arms.
Visualizing Water in the Landscape
Water shortages are on the rise, and effective management of this dwindling resource is becoming increasingly important to cities. How architects and planners visualize water in the landscape plays a big role in how it is understood and managed.
Climate Change and the Urban Water Crisis
As population growth and climate change set in, cities in developing countries will face major shortages of freshwater. A new report looks at how those cities could be affected and what preventive steps they should start taking.
Slow Down, Autobahn
A new proposal in front of the European Commission would put speed limits on the autobahn to reduce carbon emissions, and ban gasoline and diesel powered vehicles by the year 2050.
Aligning Historic Preservation and Sustainable Design
Sustainable design and historic preservation design have sometimes been at odds. But a group of experts says these two goals can work together to improve building sustainability.
New, Sustainable Building Material for Skyscapers: Wood
Could "timber skyscrapers" be in our future? Architects and engineers are seeing wood as a way to build sustainable 20-30 story structures with modern no-how.
Will Safety Concerns Curb the Spread of Wind Power?
Speigel Online reports that wind turbines are proving to be prone to breakdowns and accidents. In Europe, the wind business is booming, but growing concern about safety could put a crimp in the growing industry.
Visualizing the Cost of Water
This visualization compares the costs of providing water in cities across the world, and shows how those costs have grown or shrank in recent years.
The World's Water-Smart Cities
This collection of city profiles looks at cities around the world that are making major improvements to the way they handle and provide water.
Environmental Justice Advocates Deal Major Setback To AB 32
Environmental justice advocates have been able to do in court what oil companies unsuccessfully attempted at the polls in November: deal a severe blow, if only temporarily, to CA's landmark climate law AB 32 by challenging the cap & trade provision.
Physically Modeling and Understanding Floods in the U.S.
Despite efforts to stop them, floods hammered the U.S. in the early 20th century. A now abandoned model of the Mississippi river, its tributaries and surrounding lands was built to better understand how to combat those floods.
Wetlands and Airports: A Surprisingly Effective Combination
When the airport was built in Santa Barbara, California, engineers dammed the surrounding wetlands to prevent flooding and to keep birds from gathering. A new restoration refutes those conclusions, and paves (or unpaves) the way for other airports.
TOD is Greener Than Green
It's official, says the EPA: Living in a TOD reduces greenhouse gas emissions more than living in a green, single family home and driving a Prius. The study places major emphasis on local land use decisions in an effort to fight climate change.
Dwindling Small Towns Fight Back
Census data shows that Lacrosse, WA (pop. 315) and other small, rural towns are getting smaller. Some blame the Conservation Reserve Program. But Lacrosse and many others aren't going quietly - they're fighting to hang on.
Top 10 Websites - 2011
Our annual list of the 10 best planning, design, and development websites represents some of the top online resources for news, information and research on the built environment.
There's Oil on Main Street
A 2001 study showed that we can save more oil by building more fuel-efficient cars than by expanding drilling under U.S. soil or in our oceans. Deron Lovaas sees black gold in our cities and suburbs.
Mapping the Nation's Well-Being
Who's the happiest and healthiest of them all? The New York Times posts an interactive map of the national Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
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
