Environment
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Issues 2022 Grants
The organization awarded 25 grants for projects that promote outdoor recreation and access to trail facilities for underserved communities.
New Scoping Plan Sets Carbon Neutrality Goal for California
California has long led the nation in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A law approved in 2006 still provides direction for the state’s efforts.
Largest Dam Removal in U.S. History Clears Final Regulatory Hurdle
Four dams are coming down along the Klamath River. The final decision to remove the dams is a milestone political and legal victory for indigenous tribes living in Southern Oregon and Northern California.
European Cities Act on Density
The sprawling mass of suburbia has been a disaster for the environment. But now smaller, denser cities herald a renaissance in city living.
Report: Sustainability Goals Go Unmet in Many Global Cities
Cities around the world are failing to achieve progress toward their sustainability and public health goals, new research finds.
Arizona’s Growth Threatens Water Supplies
New communities are popping up across Arizona’s desert, evading water consumption restrictions and straining the state’s groundwater supplies.
Los Angeles County Launches Environmental Justice Department
The new department will develop plans for addressing the impacts of air and water pollution, extreme heat, and climate change on vulnerable communities.
Comprehensive Transportation Emission Reduction Planning
Many jurisdictions have ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and are developing plans to achieve them. This column discusses the factors that should be considered in this planning process.
Colorado River Compact Needs 21st Century Update
While the historic agreement set a new precedent for water rights, its inherent flaws, growing demand, and the threat of climate change make much of it obsolete for today’s needs.
Federal Protection Proposed for Chesapeake Bay
Two Maryland lawmakers will introduce legislation to create the Chesapeake Bay National Recreation Area to protect the region’s important ecological and cultural resources.
Proposed Legislation Sounds Alarm on Mississippi River Drought
Without concerted restoration efforts, the river’s historically low levels could dramatically impact shipping activities and economic development throughout the region.
The United Nations Calls on U.S. Planners to Break Land Use, Transportation Status Quo
“We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.”
New Green Development Rules Take Effect in Austin
The city updated its development code to include more robust protection for local wetlands and stricter sustainable stormwater infrastructure requirements.
Tracking Boston’s Emissions Reduction Progress
The Boston Foundation published the “Inaugural Boston Climate Progress Report” earlier this month. Other U.S. cities should follow their lead.
2022 Midterm Election Results for Land Use, Transportation, and the Climate
The most closely watched midterm election since the last midterm election offered voters an opportunity to decide on matters of consequence related to land use, housing, transportation, and the environment.
The Republican Energy and Climate Agenda
With many polls predicting a ‘red wave’ on Election Day, we take a look at the energy and climate agenda of the 118th Congress under Republican control.
Texas Water Officials Deaf on Climate Change
The state’s long-term water plan fails to account for the impacts of climate change on water supplies, setting Texas up for a severe water shortage in the coming decades.
The True Scale of Flood Hazard Facing Los Angeles
New research sheds light on how L.A.’s aging and poorly maintained infrastructure is putting hundreds of thousands more residents in flood hazard zones than previously estimated.
New National Monument Proposed South of Joshua Tree
The 700,000 acre monument would protect threatened species and important historic and cultural sites.
Port of San Francisco, Army Corps of Engineers Planning for Rising Bay Waters
A massive climate adaptation planning effort is underway for the docks (and seawalls and landfill) of the San Francisco Bay.
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
