Environment
Turning Excess Heat Into Energy
'Waste heat' is a hot area of research as an alternative energy source. Providers say they can turn excess heat produced by machines in factories into clean electricity.
Deepwater Horizon Disaster May go Global
The incredible pressures at work three miles below the ocean may prevent capping or relieving the oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico. If it continues for months or years, the scope of the disaster could be global, warns James Moore.
I'm Not A City Planner, But I Play One in Video Games
Today IBM is releasing a new video game called CityOne that reportedly is like SimCity but with more serious environmental and economic issues at stake. And yes, the gamer plays the role of a city planner.
Clean Cars: Salvation or Problem?
Alternative energy cars: will they be our salvation, or will they perpetuate auto-dependency? Jan Lundberg critiques the Sierra Club's longstanding priority on increasing fuel efficiency.
A Crowdsourced Tree Census for Cities
GOOD points us to a new project that harnesses the power of citizens to create a census of trees in San Francisco.
Coastal Cities and Climate Change
Anthony Flint looks at how cities around the world are preparing for the predicted rise in sea level due to global warming, and how the Dutch experience with building dikes could be essential.
Are NIMFYs Next?
Converting front lawns into edible gardens is becoming popular, but some neighbors only see ugliness and worry about their property values. Are we entering the age of Not In My Front Yard (NIMFY)?
Planning to Improve Public Health
Public health was an early impetus for better urban planning. But over the years, it has faded into the background. This piece from Miler-McCune looks at how health concerns are moving their way back into mainstream planning.
L.A. is Still #1
In terms of smog, metropolitan Los Angeles is still the worst city in the United States. In fact, all 10 of the smoggiest counties are in California, according to an annual report from the American Lung Association.
Controversial Offshore Wind Farm off Massachusetts Approved
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today approved the first offshore wind farm in the United States, a project that faced vocal opposition from local tribes and others.
Toxic Suburbia
A 50-acre section of the Los Angeles suburb of Carson is contaminated with methane gas and benzene. Owners of the 285 homes in the area are left with few options.
The Greenest Cities
CNN explores the world's 'greenest' urban centers, and find that complexity is the secret of their success.
Riverfront Easement Provokes Debate
In Red Wing, Minnesota, the city is seeking to turn 200-acres of marshes and forests into a permanent conservation easement. A citizen group has complained that locking down the land forever is a bad idea.
Spinning for Dinner
A hotel in Copenhagen offers $40 meal vouchers for anyone who produces 10 watt hours of electricity using their wired-up stationery bicycles.
Chicago, Capital of Green Roofs?
Chicago City Hall boasts one of the world's most famous green roofs. As a result, the city has a reputation for being the capital of green roofs. But as architecture critic Blair Kamin notes from a bird's eye view, that's not exactly the case.
This Earth Day, Make the Connection With Land Use
Patrick L. Phillips, CEO of the Urban Land Institute, uses the occasion of Earth Day to say yes, "how we use land matters."
Running Cities Like A Business
Former Albuquerque Mayor Martin J. Chavez writes that the great success of Mayor Bloomberg's PlanNYC is due in large part to a process that borrowed key principles from the business world.
Urban Farming Going Global
The move towards growing produce locally in urban areas is not just a U.S. phenomenon, says CNN. China, Japan and Cuba have had agriculture in cities for decades.
Revisiting Sites of Eco-Disaster
Stephanie Rogers revisits 7 of the greatest environmental disasters (including the 2008 TVA coal sludge spill) and finds that while they may have left the headlines, serious problems remain.
Climate/Energy Gas Tax Nixed
Despite many reports to the contrary, the developing climate legislation by Senators Graham, Lieberman, and Kerry to be unveiled April 26 will not include a fuel fee, reports The Hill. And don't blame the oil industry - they supported the gas tax.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
