Environment
Report: 25 Percent of Americans Live With Poor Air Quality
Fires and extreme heat are generating more harmful particulate matter.
Calculating Vehicle Travel Reduction Benefits
The Rocky Mountain Institute's new Smarter MODES Calculator quantifies economic, social and environmental benefits provided by shifts from automobile travel to more resource-efficient modes. This includes benefits that are often overlooked or undervalued in conventional planning.
Report: 15 Percent of Americans Deny Climate Change
A new study affirms other research showing that a small but vocal minority of Americans don’t believe climate change exists.
How the Great American Outdoors Act Improved Public Lands
The 2020 federal law has helped fund park maintenance projects and improve access to public lands.
Cape Cod Water Quality Threatened by Septic Runoff
Pollutants from local septic tanks are creating problematic algae blooms in local waters. Cleaning it all up could cost billions.
Report: 100 Trends Urban Planners Need to Know About
APA’s third annual Trend Report for Urban Planners is out and offers a comprehensive look at potential drivers of change that could impact communities and the work of planners for decades to come.
The Promise of Urban Food Forests
Planting food-producing trees can offer both shade and a source of healthy foods in concrete-dominated neighborhoods.
Assessing Houston’s ‘Climate Abandonment Areas’
Most of the census tracts designated at high risk of flooding are in less affluent neighborhoods.
Storms Sever California Rail Line—Again
The coast-hugging rail corridor linking Los Angeles and San Diego faces an uncertain future as mudslides once again force part of the line to close.
Texas Reservoirs Reach Dangerous Lows
In some parts of the state, water officials have cut off releases that maintain estuaries and other key coastal habitats.
EPA Drops More Civil Rights Investigations
A lawsuit that halted an investigation in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ is having a chilling impact on other environmental justice cases.
How Hot Will 2024 Get?
Experts predict summer temperatures could surpass 2023’s record heat waves, prompting cities to plan mitigation measures.
How To Limit Urban Noise
Environmental noise can pose serious health risks ranging from sleep disruptions to higher blood pressure.
Climate Change Concerns Rising Among Americans
More Americans than ever agree climate change is happening—but fewer agree on what to do about it.
NOAA Releases High-Resolution Coastal Data
The new data can help communities identify risks and assess potential land use impacts in coastal areas.
San Francisco's Presidio Earns Fifth 'Green Flag' Award
The Presidio has been honored with the Green Flag Award for the fifth year in a row. The award is the most universally recognized international standard of quality for parks and green spaces.
The Importance of LA's Exposition Park
Centrally located in Los Angeles, Exposition Park is a 160-acre urban park that is home to key recreational, cultural, educational, and athletic institutions and facilities. Learn more about the park from its general manager Andrea Ambriz.
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
Author Kristina Marusic explores her book, A New War on Cancer, with The Planning Commission Podcast.
North Carolina Is Building an Online Tool to Quantify Outcomes of Flood Projects
The tool will allow local planners to evaluate impacts of flooding and prioritize projects with the biggest return on investment.
Judge Halts EPA Action in ‘Cancer Alley’ Civil Rights Case
EPA investigations into violations of the Civil Rights Act in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” were ruled as “federal overreach.”
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
