Environment

Thirsty Planet

Access to water is becoming increasingly tight in many parts of the world. This article from Wired looks at three thirsty regions and what they are doing to counteract the shortage.

April 30, 2008 - Wired

Governor Looks to Slice Park With Power Line

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is pushing forward with plans to run a power line through the middle of one of the state's parks -- much to the chagrin of environmentalists.

April 30, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

Sustainable Cities Could Save The Planet

A review of the 7th annual EcoCity World Summit reveals some of the ideas and innovations the planners, architects and builders are using to create greener and more sustainable cities.

April 29, 2008 - WorldChanging

Earth To Houston: Wake Up And Smell The Greenhouse Gas Emissions

While the American Dream Coalition celebrates the 'freedom and affordability' of Houston -- Robert Steuteville wonders why the group ignores the environmental and financial consequences of such an auto-dependent city.

April 29, 2008 - New Urban News

13 Influential Environmental Leaders

Newsweek profiles the most influential environmental leaders of the last century.

April 28, 2008 - Newsweek

Can The Earth Provide Enough Food For 9 Billion People?

That's how many are expected to inhabit the world by 2050. Experts worry over looming food shortages.

April 28, 2008 - The Christian Science Monitor

Urban Railyard Finds New Life As Wetland Park

A former bus and rail yard in park-poor South Los Angeles will be converted into an "urban wetland park".

April 27, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

'Guerrilla Gardeners' Taking Over Neglected Public Places

Vacant lots and underutilized dirt patches are the the romping grounds of a new breed of activists. Known as "guerrilla gardeners", groups of people all over the world are reclaiming their cities' public spaces and landscapes by planting seeds.

April 27, 2008 - The Guardian

New Maps Show Broad Range of Earthquake Risk in U.S.

New earthquake hazard maps from the U.S. Geological Survey show increased earthquake risk areas beyond typical hotspots like California. Geologists say planners and local officials should react to the maps by updating building codes.

April 26, 2008 - Discovery

Does LEED Have a Big City Bias?

The vast majority of LEED-certified green buildings in the U.S. are located in major cities, leading some to wonder whether there might be an inherent bias in LEED's standards.

April 26, 2008 - CoStar Group

Dubai Floats Idea to Build Around Sea Level Problems

With rising sea levels and a penchant for ambitious new building ideas, Dubai is moving forward with plans to construct floating buildings and islands.

April 25, 2008 - NPR

'America's Most Endangered River'

American Rivers has named the Catawba River--which spans both Carolinas--as America's Most Endangered River for 2008, citing rapid development and outdated water supply management as factors in its ranking.

April 25, 2008 - The State

The Island of Garbage

This 12-part video series from Vice gives a gritty look at the Texas-sized patch of plastic flotsam that has formed in the Pacific Ocean -- and the global environmental and health hazards it presents.

April 25, 2008 - VBS

County Requires All New Homes To Be Green

All new homes in Montgomery County, Maryland, will be required to comply with environmental and energy-efficiency standards.

April 24, 2008 - The Washington Post

Gonna Green Me A Condo

From construction to infrastructure to social marketing, the Dockside Green condominiums in Victoria B.C. is becoming recognized as the greenest in Canada.

April 23, 2008 - The Globe & Mail

Questioning New York City's Sustinability Plan

With Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan defeated, can the city's vision for long-term sustainability be achieved?

April 21, 2008 - The Gotham Gazette

Tapped Out

America is reaching the limits of its water supply, signaling a need to change urban development, energy and agricultural practices, writes Shiney Varghese of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

April 21, 2008 - AlterNet

Support Wanes for Turkey's Controversial Dam

A massive dam project in Turkey that would flood historic areas and displace 50,000 people is losing international support, as officials in Germany threaten to pull out of the project -- often called a smaller version of China's Three Gorges Dam.

April 20, 2008 - Der Spiegel

How Drugs Kill Forests

Drug traffickers, growers and drug law enforcement agents are wreaking havok on the forests of Central America, where large plots of forest are clear-cut for drug crop growing and sprayed to eliminate illicit substances.

April 18, 2008 - Scientific American

American Mayors and Bottom-Up Environmental Planning

The environmental leadership of mayors in the U.S. offers much hope for the future of the country, according to this article from Metropolis.

April 18, 2008 - Metropolis Magazine

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.