Environment
What to Expect from U.S. Climate Policy in 2023
2022 was full of historic legislative accomplishments on climate policy. 2023 is unlikely to achieve the same significance, though the changing climate demands more of the same.
Complaint Blames Bay Delta Ecological Crisis on Racism
Advocates hope to enlist the federal government in forcing state regulators to set clean water standards for the San Francisco Bay Delta.
Public-Private Partnerships Needed to Create More Parks in Downtown Los Angeles
A new report calls for an increase in public-private partnerships (P3s) to help create and enhance parks projects throughout Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA).
Winter Storm Knocks Out Drinking Water Systems in the South, Including in Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi made headlines and incurred a civil rights investigation earlier this year when flooding knocked out the city’s drinking water supply. This week’s winter storm had the same effect on Jackson as well as other Southern cities.
Florida Home Insurance Prices Increasingly a Burden for Residents
Climate change is coming for the state of Florida, and it’s already showing up in the insurance market.
Data-Driven Effort to Re-envision Conservation and Prioritize Vulnerable Communities
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved the 2022 Parks Needs Assessment Plus (PNA+), which focuses on environmental conservation and restoration, regional recreation, and rural recreation.
The Year in Public Lands
Public policy decisions that will impact land and water conservation in the American West.
Want to Swim in the Potomac? Army Corps to Study the Possibility
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could soon study how to legalize swimming in the rivers around the nation’s capital—a scenario that would have seemed impossible in the not-too-distant past.
Chicago To Issue Climate Resilience Grants
Small businesses and nonprofits are eligible for a $5 million fund designed to help the city reach its emissions reduction goals.
Oregon to End Sales of Gas-Powered Vehicles by 2035
There must be something about having a coast on the Pacific Ocean that makes states set policies to accelerate the end of the internal combustion engine.
L.A. ‘Wildlife Ordinance’ to Protect Biodiversity With Zoning Changes
The Los Angeles City Planning Commission recently approved a new Wildlife Ordinance. The City Council will make the final decision about the ordinance’s approval.
How Climate Change Threatens Manufactured Housing
A key supply of low-cost housing is under threat from extreme weather, rising sea levels, and other impacts of climate change.
Historic Conservation Agreement Reached on Last Day of COP15
The international framework pledges to protect 30 percent of land and water by 2030, but critics say it doesn’t go far enough to address the urgency of biodiversity loss and climate change.
Paris to Ban Short-Haul Flights to Reduce Emissions
The country of France has been cleared by the European Union to ban specific air travel routes from the Orly Airport near Paris.
Identifying and Improving Schools Most In Need of Greening
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has developed an index to help identify the schools that are most in need of greening resources.
GAO Decision Makes it Easier for States to Spend Federal Infrastructure on Roads
An attempt by the Biden administration to control new infrastructure dollars has been foiled by the Congressional Review Act.
Planning Year in Review 2022: Downtowns, Transportation, Climate Change
Part two of a review of the major themes, debates, and events of the year in planning that was 2022.
Southern California Water District Declares Drought Emergency
State water officials say the region’s agencies will only receive 5 percent of their requested supplies for the start of 2023 due to intense drought conditions that continue to sap western water supplies.
Is Sprawl the Only Answer to High Housing Costs?
A recent article argues that sprawl is the solution to high housing costs, pointing out that low-density Sunbelt cities are more affordable than some more compact metro areas. What's wrong with this argument?
Colorado Reservoir Project Clears Final Permit Hurdle
Though opponents of the massive water diversion project plan to keep fighting in court, the permit issued this month is a major success for a plan almost 20 years in the works.
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
