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.
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.
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.
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.
Single Person, Double Impact?
The growing population of single-person households may be an ecological time bomb, suggests Heidi Sopinka.
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.
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.
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.
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.
New York City Considers Congestion Charges
New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg unveils ambitious sustainability plans.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Next Generation of Sustainable Development
National award winning "green development" is getting attention in Salem, Oregon.
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.
Republicans Warm Up To Fighting Climate Change
Conservative lawmakers are using climate change as a political issue. Environmentalists are not happy.
Pagination
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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.
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