Environment
Norway Could Be Carbon-Neutral by 2030
The government of Norway has announced plans to offset all of its carbon emissions by 2030, a goal it had previously set for 2050.
Hot Air: Jerry Brown Becomes Climate Change Warrior
Former California Governor Jerry Brown, now the state's attorney general, is vowing to sue cities and counties that do not take climate change into consideration during general plan updates.
Projecting A Bleak Future For Washington D.C.
Design teams presented their visions for the future of Washington D.C. recently. Their outlook was overwhelmingly dire.
...And Not a Drop to Drink
Desalination plants are being seen as the solution to declines in global freshwater supplies. But as Scott Thill reports, the plants may be an environmental disaster in the making.
Lessons From Below Sea Level
Global warming is exacerbating the threat of flooding in low-lying areas such as Holland and California's Sacramento Delta. Politicians in California are looking to Holland for examples of how to prevent flooding from happening.
Offshore Wind Power Plant Overcomes Major Obstacle
An offshore wind power farm proposed for construction in the Nantucket Sound has been found to have only minimal environmental effects, clearing the way for the project's federal approval as soon as the end of the year.
Sky Islands of North America: A Globally Unique and Threatened Inland Archipelago
"Sky islands" are a globally unique convergence — the north-south overlap of two major cordilleras spanning the temperate and subtropical latitudes, covering some 40 distinct mountain ranges in the southwestern U.S. But they are at risk.
Mayors' Climate Change Vows Result In Little Action
Despite the signatures of hundreds of U.S. Mayors, the Climate Protection Agreement that says cities will take the lead on addressing climate change has resulted in little action, according to this article.
Political Climate Change?
Sierra Magazine asks Matt Stoller, Michael Bocian, David Orr and Newt Gingrich to square off on how climate change will figure in the 2008 Presidential election.
A Case Study in 'UnSprawl'
Located seven miles south of the town of Loreto in Baja California Sur, the Villages of Loreto Bay is an 8,000-acre new urbanist development that strives to be North America’s largest sustainable resort development.
Environmentalists May Delay High Speed Rail In California
With the $10 billion bond slated for the November ballot in California, the latest twist in the long saga of delays is that environmentalists, unhappy with the proposed route into the Bay Area from the Central Valley, threaten to litigate the EIR.
Thinking Beyond the Olympics in Beijing
With the 2008 Olympics heading to Beijing, Chinese officials are looking at ways to reduce pollution and improve air quality by the time the games begin. But locals are also starting to think about life after the games.
Leave Planning To Planners
In this column, APA Executive Director Paul Farmer expounds on the other professions that are inappropriately making planning decisions, and discusses how New Urbanists are close to repeating the mistakes of other modernist movements.
Chinese Farmers Lead Revolt Against Polluters
Echoing the peasant revolutions that led to the creation of modern China, farmers are rising up against the factories they accuse of contaminating rivers and destroying their livelihoods.
Interest Groups To Determine Future of More Than 140,000 Acres
Following PG&E's bankruptcy, the private nonprofit Stewardship Council was assigned the task of conserving and reorganizing PG&E's 140,000 acres located in the Sierra Nevada and Upper Cascade Mountains.
Urban Innovators on List of Planet Heroes
The Guardian has released a list of the "50 people who could save the planet," including some urban innovators who are changing the way the world thinks about cities.
Simple Solutions To California's Water Shortage
Years of low rainfall are causing many in California to think hard about diminishing supplies of water. In this commentary, author Peter Gleick argues that wise water use and management -- not big-scale infrastructure projects -- is the solution.
Historic Sites Disappearing As Three Gorges Reservoir Rises
The reservoir at China's Three Gorges Dam will fill to capacity this year, flooding more than 400 square miles of land, including some precious historic sites.
Australian High-Rise Projects Prompts Protests
A $1.7 billion high-rise development proposal that would jut out into the Brisbane River has prompted the protests of many planners and architects in Brisbane, Australia.
'Nature-Deficit Disorder'
In this interview from Land&People, author Richard Louv discusses his research into the importance of interaction with nature in child development, and explains his concept of "nature-deficit disorder".
Pagination
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions