Environment

Trains Allowed To Idle Despite Pollution

Citing rules made more than 100 years ago, railroad operators have dodged regulations being pressed by a California air quality board to prohibit locomotives from idling -- a highly polluting activity.

May 4, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

China's Dongtan To Take An Ecosystem Approach to Urban Planning

Dongtan, a master-planned Chinese city, is set to chart a "smarter path" for growth and remedying China's environmental crisis.

May 3, 2007 - Wired

L.A. Is The 'Most Polluted' U.S. City

Los Angeles has topped the American Lung Association's list of the most polluted American cities.

May 2, 2007 - The York Dispatch

Mississippi River Diversion Plan Could Reclaim Land

Engineers have unveiled a massive plan to let the Mississippi River flow out of several of its levees to reduce the amount of sediment that flows into the ocean. Proponents say the $50 billion plan would reclaim much of the land-building sediment.

May 1, 2007 - The Washington Post

Single Person, Double Impact?

The growing population of single-person households may be an ecological time bomb, suggests Heidi Sopinka.

April 28, 2007 - The Globe and Mail

Tribe Appeals For Removal Of Dams

Dams have been decimating the population of salmon in Northern California's Klamath River for years, and now Native Americans who depend on the salmon are traveling to visit the owner of the dams to appeal for their removal.

April 27, 2007 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Focusing On Fuels As Opposed To Auto Dependency

Two Bay Area 'voices' illustrate that lowering carbon content of fuel and increasing its efficiency hardly gets at the root of the transportation-global warming problem -- auto dependency, and offer three strategies to solve it.

April 27, 2007 - World Changing.com

Induced Rain May Wash Beijing's Pollution Away

China has announced plans to induce rain in Beijing in the days before the 2008 Olympics in an effort to clean the air. Scientists are wary about the effects of the process.

April 26, 2007 - Associated Press

What Do You Value More -- Clean Air Or Clean Water?

The power company says the controversial Klamath River hydroelectric dams are a source of clean energy that does not contribute to carbon emissions. Environmentalists and fisherman believe the dams have damaged the river and threatened livelihoods.

April 25, 2007 - The New York Times

New York City Considers Congestion Charges

New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg unveils ambitious sustainability plans.

April 25, 2007 - The New York Times

Urban Noise Causes Birds To Sing At Night

High daytime noise levels in urban areas have caused birds to sing at night to avoid the competition. This goes against the previous thought that streetlights were confusing birds into thinking it was day.

April 25, 2007 - BBC

Transporting Green Energy May Threaten Natural Resources

As California tries to meet its goal of 20% renewable energy use by 2010, it faces the challenge of transporting all that renewable energy without negatively affecting the state's other natural resources.

April 25, 2007 - The Christian Science Monitor

Canadian Beacons

Like many of their American counterparts, Canadian municipalities aren't waiting for their federal government to act on environmental issues, and are taking some bold initiatives of their own to reduce resource consumption and pollution.

April 25, 2007 - The Vancouver Sun

Military Wastes Pose Environmental Risks in California

Munitions, toxic chemicals, and even radioactive wasts at current and former military sites in California pose a serious environmental risk. The extent and scale is unknown as sites predate environmental standards.

April 24, 2007 - The Sacramento Bee

Drought May Ruin Australian Agriculture

Australian farmers may soon lose access to irrigation if drought conditions don't improve -- which may prove to be the first climate-change related disaster to hit a developed nation.

April 24, 2007 - The Independent (UK)

Global Warming Island

A peninsular area of land in Greenland has become an island off its coast due to rising sea levels, which scientists attribute to global warming.

April 24, 2007 - The Independent

Moving For Your Health

With mounting evidence that the lifestyle promoted by car-oriented suburbia can lead to increased risk of obesity, the idea of people consciously moving to a healthy-oriented, walkable neighborhood isn't so far-fetched.

April 24, 2007 - The San Francisco Chronicle

The Next Generation of Sustainable Development

National award winning "green development" is getting attention in Salem, Oregon.

April 23, 2007 - Salem Oregon Statesman Journal

Raising The Roof On America's Malls

The tide in mall development is changing to incorporate elements of nostalgia for 'Americana' and a hometown feel, complete with story lines, but concerns over traffic congestion and over-development persist.

April 23, 2007 - The Los Angeles Times

Republicans Warm Up To Fighting Climate Change

Conservative lawmakers are using climate change as a political issue. Environmentalists are not happy.

April 23, 2007 - The Sacramento Bee

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.