Environment

Moving A City

This piece from Wired looks at the Swedish mining town of Kiruna that is literally picking itself up and moving.

June 4, 2009 - Wired

Chu Says: Paint the World White

Energy Secretary Steven Chu is the latest to get behind the idea that painting roofs and buildings white can help counter global warming.

June 2, 2009 - The Times Online

The "Greenest" Consumers

Consumers in India, Brazil, and China scored the highest (and those in the U.S. the lowest) in a survey conducted by National Geographic and Globescan for green behavior.

June 2, 2009 - THE DIRT

Making Cities Net Producers of Energy

Professor David Godschalk, City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill, discussed the need to initiate 'positive development' strategies in cities during a National Building Museum symposium.

June 2, 2009 - THE DIRT

220 California Parks to be Terminated?

With California facing a $24.3 billion deficit, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has released a budget that eliminates $70 million in funding for the state's parks system.

June 2, 2009 - Yahoo! News

Scramble for the LEED

As the U.S. Green Building Council prepares to give its LEED-AP certification standards a major overhaul, test takers are scrambling to take the exam before it becomes a whole new ballgame.

June 1, 2009 - The Architect's Newspaper

Smart Meters Will Save The World

Columnist Stephen Cunningham of the BBC believes that technology like smart meters in homes will provide the necessary reduction in CO2 to reduce global warming.

May 29, 2009 - BBC News

Household CO2 Emissions Worse in Suburbs

New maps created by the Center for Neighborhood Technology show that while emissions are greater per acre in cities, they are greater per household in suburbs.

May 27, 2009 - NRDC Blog

Clinton Promoting 'Climate-Positive' Communities

Last week in Seoul, Bill Clinton announced a new collaboration between the Clinton Climate Initiative and the U.S. Green Building Council to go beyond the single LEED building and create new green development models for whole communities.

May 27, 2009 - The New York Times

Fighting Energy Ugliness

With communities balking at the purported ugliness of windtowers and solar panels, a Dutch company proposes using nature's own designs.

May 27, 2009 - Fast Company

The Challenge of Turning Blue Collars Green

The new documentary The Greening of Southie follows construction workers in Boston as they adapt to the new rules and regulations of green development (sometimes unwittingly).

May 27, 2009 - GOOD Magazine

Learning How to be Clean and Green from Germany

Germany's experience in implementing environmentally-friendly concepts like green roofs, wind power and other renewables is pointing the way for many American decisionmakers.

May 27, 2009 - The New York Times

Natural Gas Extraction a Threat to NYC Water Supply?

A water- and chemical-intensive process to mine natural gas may pose a threat to the watershed supplying drinking water to 14 million people.

May 26, 2009 - AlterNet

PBS Doc Examines Development In Denver, Portland, and NYC

Three cities - three directions on how their transportation infrastructure was shaped by national transportation and housing legislation, and the role of influential leaders like CO Gov. Lamm, OR representative Earl Blumenauer, and NY's Robert Moses.

May 26, 2009 - PBS

Electric Cars are Coming!

We're sorry to be buzz kills. But we've heard this one before. Like in 1990. And 1910. Do the automakers have the juice this time?

May 25, 2009 - Salon.com

Nuclear Not the Answer, Says MIT Study

While nuclear energy is being touted as a possible savior for global warming, an updated MIT study says the technology hasn't progressed and is still too expensive.

May 24, 2009 - The Wall St. Journal

Guerilla Greywater Goes Public Policy

Once guerrilla, now becoming policy, greywater reuse is picking up in cities across the country.

May 23, 2009 - Governing

Innovation Comes to the Greenhouse

Two brand new, high-tech greenhouses are rising in Camarillo, CA, with the promise of growing 20 times more tomatoes than conventional farming. They'll also be the first greenhouses to be completely carbon-neutral.

May 23, 2009 - The Los Angeles Times

Orange County's Great Park Crawls Forward

This post from Governing looks at the long planning process of the Orange County Great Park, a 1,347 acre public park that's been in the works for 7 years. Comprehensive design plans were recently approved and construction is set to begin.

May 23, 2009 - Governing

China Coping with "Ecological Disaster Areas"

Climate change and irrigation schemes are drying up rivers and speeding the spread of deserts, leading to plans to move tens of millions of people.

May 22, 2009 - Guardian (UK)

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.