Environment

When The Auto Columnist Gives Up His Car

What's this? The Wall Street Journal's 'car guy' - the reporter who writes about cars and roads, is .....without a car? As difficult as it may be to believe, Joseph White is now a carless urbanite in DC. Here is his first column in his new lifestyle.

November 6, 2009 - The Wall Street Journal

Maryland's Smart Growth Law A Dud According To University Study

Maryland's 1997 landmark smart growth, hailed as one of the most innovative policies in the nation, has turned out to have failed in what it hoped to accomplish - preserve open space and cluster urban growth, according to a just-released report.

November 5, 2009 - Washington Post

A Greener Shade of Golf?

Golf courses use dangerous pesticides and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to maintain their manicured look. Many people would like to change that. But some golf courses says you can have your cake and tee off, too.

November 4, 2009 - Good

EPA's Porous Pavement Project

The Environmental Protection Agency is conducting a test on three different types of porous pavement to devise ways to control runoff from parking lots and streets.

November 4, 2009 - Scientific American

Wind Power Gets Airborne

The motherlode of wind energy up, up in the air, say scientists. A handful of new technologies are being developed to harvest it at the source, roughly six miles up.

November 3, 2009 - Miller-McCune

Ford in the Black, Thanks to Cash for Clunkers

Ford Motor Co. is reporting almost $1b in profits in the third quarter. CEO Alan Mulally credits the Cash for Clunkers program and cost cutting for their success.

November 2, 2009 - The Los Angeles Times

Chicago's Answer to NYC's High Line Will Generate Power & Food

A proposed plan from Gensler and 4240 Architecture would turn an abandoned rail line in Chicago into an energy-generating, food-growing powerhouse. Oh, and a park too.

November 2, 2009 - Fast Company

Starchitecture and Sustainability: Hope, Creativity, and Futility Collide in Contemporary Architecture

Can today's contemporary architects, schooled in modernism and invention, in fact incorporate the sort of green building materials and techniques that make a real difference? And does design really matter? Josh Stephens takes a look.

November 1, 2009 - Josh Stephens

Local Canadian Leaders Do What Fed Fails To

While Canada's federal government resists taking action on climate change, its provincial and Aboriginal leaders have set aside over 200 million acres of boreal forest as a carbon vault.

October 31, 2009 - Guardian (UK)

A Little Soy for Your Groundwater?

In order to clean up groundwater pollution from dry cleaning chemicals, Orland, California is planning on injecting soybean oil into the problem area. The plan is touted as lower risk and lower cost than other methods.

October 30, 2009 - Oroville Mercury Register

Drive A Hot Rod, Save The Planet

How can a Porsche be better for the environment than a Prius? If you use transit to commute, and only take the hot rod out on the weekends. Slate writer Joe Eaton sold his Volvo for a combination of transit and fun.

October 30, 2009 - Slate

The Trouble with Transition Towns

Alex Steffen weighs the challenges of Transition Towns and, instead, advocates for bright green, optimistic democracy.

October 30, 2009 - WorldChanging

Chicago's Climate Action Plan One Year Later

This interview with Chief Environment Officer Sadhu Johnston highlights the progress Chicago's already had, including 7 million square feet of green roofs and more bike lanes.

October 30, 2009 - American Society Of Landscape Architects

Thirsting in America's Fruit Basket

To protect the endangered Delta Smelt fish, pumping of water from California's Sacramento Delta has been drastically cut back. Add in the state's three-year-long drought, and the result is a major problem for the state's people and farmers.

October 28, 2009 - The Economist

Coal & Oil - Biggest Health Culprits, Says National Academies

The National Academy of Science has released a report showing that health effects from burning fossil fuels cost the economy about $120 billion a year. Global warming was not included due to uncertainty, so it's focused mostly on air pollution.

October 27, 2009 - The New York Times - Environment

Emissions Impact of Biofuels Undercounted

A new report claims that the way the global warming impact of biofuels is measured leaves out the land use component of clearing land and growing crops.

October 27, 2009 - The Washington Post

Suburbs Sprouting in Cairo Deserts

President Mubarak of Egypt is allowing developers to create American-style suburban developments in dry desert land outside Cairo.

October 26, 2009 - POLIS

Toward an Ethic of Place: Experiments in Regional Governance

Matthew McKinney argues that regional governance is essential to address transboundary issues like climate change, wildlife corridors, shared water resources, and energy development.

October 26, 2009 - Matthew McKinney

The Prius Power Drain

PG&E CEO Peter Darbee says that it wouldn't take very many all-electric cars to create a serious drain on local power generators.

October 25, 2009 - CNET

Denmark's Energy Efficient Poster Child

The Danish island of Samso is the poster child of clean energy. Its residents generate more energy than they consume. Now the Danish government wants to export that model back to the mainland.

October 25, 2009 - Der Spiegel

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

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.