Environment
Preserving More Hillside Land for Conservation and Biodiversity
The Los Angeles City Council recently approved an ordinance giving the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy first right of refusal to purchase any surplus hillside land owned by the city so it can be preserved.
Shrinking Great Salt Lake Is a Ticking Time Bomb
Climate change and population growth are shrinking the Great Salt Lake. The environmental consequences are dire.
New Tool to Understand Heat Vulnerability and Resilience in California
The California Healthy Places Index: Extreme Heat Edition is a tool which provides datasets on projected heat exposure for California, including place-based indicators measuring community conditions and sensitive populations.
The Return of San Francisco’s Privately Owned Public Spaces
In San Francisco, you can find respite from city life in some unexpected places—if you know where to look.
Protecting Chicago’s Tree Canopy
Advocates for urban greening are asking the city to boost its tree planting efforts and protect existing trees, which are a key tool for fighting the effects of climate change and worsening heat waves.
Friday Funny: The Onion Satirizes the Federal Government’s Electric Car Fetish
The totally satirical, not-at-all-real website The Onion is back with another planning-related fake news take.
California Coastal Commission Nixes Parking Reforms Intended to Spur ADUs in San Diego
Environmental causes run into conflict with zoning reforms intended for environmental benefit once again, as the California Coastal Commission requires San Diego to reinstate parking requirements for ADUs.
A New Master Plan for the Los Angeles River
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to approved a new master plan for the L.A. River—the “Reimagined River.”
Greening Detroit’s Redlined Neighborhoods
A Detroit nonprofit has been planting trees in parts of the city with the lowest tree canopy.
Envisioning a New Nature Center
Los Angeles County is seeking public input as part of the Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area Nature Center replacement planning project.
Wanted: Taggers Responsible for Graffiti at Yosemite National Park
National Park officials are asking for the public's help to track down those responsible for graffiti recently painted in the park.
Energy Department Resumes Loan Program with Hydrogen Storage
The Energy Department's loan office, known for a bad loan to the solar panel startup Solyndra in 2011, will loan $504 million to a company that will use renewable energy to create 'green hydrogen' and store it in salt caverns in Utah.
Judge Blocks Minneapolis 2040 Implementation, Citing Lack of Environmental Review
Environmentalists have used the power of the legal system to protect the car-centric status quo of single-family zoning once again, overturning a landmark planning innovation in Minneapolis.
D.C. Region Sets Goal to Reduce GHG Emissions From Transportation 50% by 2030
Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the D.C. region—and the rest of the country. The D.C. region is committing to drastic actions to change their ways, however.
Fighting for Their Future: Hawai’i Kids Sue State Over Greenhouse Gas Emissions
A group of Hawai’ian youth is suing the state’s Department of Transportation, claiming that Hawai’i’s transportation system contributes to climate change and the destruction of homes and cultural traditions.
Restoring Degraded Lands to Advance Park Equity and Environmental Justice
The restoration of degraded lands, including properties occupied by abandoned, redundant, or unwanted infrastructure, is of great importance in Los Angeles County where numerous underserved communities are plagued with environmental burdens.
How Goats Aid in Wildfire Prevention
Grazing goats can quickly and effectively clear steep or hard-to-reach hillsides of invasive, fire-fueling vegetation.
Are Urban Planners Staying Silent on Climate Gentrification?
Holmdel, New Jersey, moved its affordable housing to flood-prone land, raising a question about planners' ethical obligations to speak up against such moves.
Desalination and Water Recycling Needed to Increase Bay Area Water Supply
In an ongoing drought exacerbated by climate change, the Bay Area needs to look toward two technologies to secure adequate drinking water supply: desalination and wastewater recycling, according to an analysis by the San Francisco Examiner.
Spokane To Implement Drought Response Ordinance
The city council voted to override a veto of the ordinance by the mayor, enacting new water conservation measures.
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.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
