Environment

Another City Bans Plastic Bags

Telluride, CO just became the latest U.S. city to ban the distribution of plastic shopping bags, following on the heels of communities in California, North Carolina, Alaska, Connecticut, and Washington.

October 12, 2010 - USA Today

Reframing the Sustainability Argument

This podcast features a discussion with designer Bruce Mau, who talks about sustainability and why he loves the suburbs.

October 9, 2010 - Climate Desk

A New Dimension in Luxury: Down

Terra Vivos is a luxury community built entirely underground, and it can withstand a blast from a nearby 50-megaton nuclear bomb. Arnie Cooper takes a tour.

October 8, 2010 - Popular Science

World's Delta Cities Team Up to Address Shared Issues

A new group of cities is emerging to collaboratively tackle issues related to sea level rise in delta and waterfront cities.

October 7, 2010 - WorldChanging

Cities As Coyote Habitat

Event the densest and most populated urban areas in America are seeing increasing numbers of coyotes.

October 7, 2010 - Orion

Seattle's Sustainability Cred Suffering

In the progressive city of Seattle, Worldchanging's Alex Steffen finds the metro area falling behind other American cities with what is becoming an out-dated land use policy.

October 7, 2010 - WorldChanging

Stopping Sprawl, Slowing Emissions, Improving the Economy

A new report suggests that making policies in Canada to avoid urban sprawl development will reduce pollution and boost the economy.

October 6, 2010 - The Vancouver Sun

Cities, Not Farms, At Fault For Bay Pollution

Cities, not the agriculture heavy Central Valley, are the source of most of the runoff and pollution that enters the San Francisco Bay, according to a new report.

October 6, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

Transit, Not Traffic Reduction, Helps NYC Hit Greenhouse Gas Targets

Is New York City's green transportation revolution overhyped? It turns out that emissions from private cars actually increased between 2007 and 2009, and that almost none of the city's greenhouse gas reductions came from the transportation sector.

October 5, 2010 - Streetsblog

New York City Given Power to Clean Up Brownfields

New York City has garnered new powers to institute cleanups on moderately contaminated sites, which could help revive hundreds of spots in the city that have sat empty or unused for years.

October 5, 2010 - The Architect's Newspaper

The Problem With Density

Density is an imperfect and unreliable measurement of intensity, says architect and city planner Walter Hosack, and must be replaced with a yardstick that can more accurately measure cause and predict effect.

October 1, 2010 - Cities and Design

Best Videos About Urban Planning

Democrablog offers this list of 50 videos on YouTube that focus on urban planning and related issues.

September 30, 2010 - Democrablog

Regionalism Takes A Step Forward In CA With SB 375 Targets Approved

NRDC land use expert Amanda Eaken blogs about the approval by the Air Resources Board of the regional targets required by SB 375 to reduce global warming caused by transportation. An overlooked result may be the new powers resting with MPOs.

September 29, 2010 - NRDC Blog

Trying to Protect Farms and Forests, But Saving Open Space

A land use law passed in Oregon in the 1970s that was meant to protect farmland and forests hasn't really protected either, according to a new report.

September 29, 2010 - The Idaho Statesman

Grocery Chains Caught Faking Farmers Markets

The farmers market trend has gotten so popular that West Coast chain Safeway tried setting up some stands of fruits and veggies outside their store with a sign saying "Farmers Market". Locals called them on it.

September 28, 2010 - Grist

Warehouses to Urban Farms

Yesterday's infrastructure can become tomorrow's agriculture, says Ed Harwood, by converting underused industrial warehouses and factories to hydroponic and aeroponic growing.

September 27, 2010 - Ed Harwood

Reconsidering Masdar

Nicolai Oursoussoff says Masdar, the eco-city being developed near Abu Dhabi, is "something more daring and more noxious" than we think.

September 27, 2010 - The New York Times

HOT Lane Litigation Condemned By Legislators

Arlington County's litigation of construction of three High Occupancy Toll lanes based on civil rights violation (because of exposure to air pollution of those living near I-95/395) has prompted the bi-partisan wrath of 2 of VA's top state senators.

September 27, 2010 - The Washington Post

Urban Sprawl and Development Threatening Biodiversity in Animals

Habitat fragmentation linked with urban sprawl and development has been shown to negatively impact biological diversity in animals, according to new research.

September 27, 2010 - San Diego Union Tribune

Anger Upstream on the Nile

Egypt runs on the Nile's water. But with a growing population, Egypt's Ministry of Irrigation expects that the Nile will barely be able to meet the country's water needs by 2017. Its neighbors are increasingly angry about its overuse.

September 27, 2010 - The New York Times

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.