Environment
Understand Nature to Grow Green Jobs
Clean energy jobs aren't just about slapping solar panels on building, according to this op-ed. Building the green economy relies on building our own understanding of the interplay of natural systems.
Hydroelectric Dam Energizes and Displaces in Amazon
Plans to construct an $11 billion hydroelectric dam in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil has officials excited about the new energy it will create, and some locals preparing to relocate.
Solar Power Moves Ahead in The California Desert
"Nine projects in California are making their way through the Bureau of Land Management's fast-track program which, if completed, will bring over 4,500 megawatts worth of generating capacity onto the grid."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
Rethinking New Orleans' Levees
Three design firms offer new ideas for redesigning New Orleans' levees.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Seattle Could Ban New Houseboats
The city has hundreds of houseboats on its waterways, but new shoreline regulations could prohibit any new houseboats.
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
