Environment
Connecting Traffic, Air Quality, and Coronavirus Spread
Early in the pandemic, bike sales soared and vehicle miles traveled plummeted. As people have been driving more, more people have also been infected with the novel coronavirus.
Chicago's New Approach to Air Quality Includes Zoning Changes
Improved air quality can help achieve equitable economic growth, according to Chicago's newly announced Air Quality Agenda.
Minnesota Slowly Turns Away from Coal-Fired Energy
Minnesota utility company Xcel Energy plans to close four coal plants by 2030 and fully switch to renewable energy sources by 2050.
Adaptive Reuse Proposal Responds to COVID-19
Designers have gone back to the drawing board to keep proposals moving through the development pipeline in light of lessons from the pandemic.
Do You Know Your COVID-19 Colors?
Harvard University's Global Health Insititute and Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics have launched a new online tool for planners, policy makers, and the public to determine the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in one's county and state.
Lockdown Benefits Urban Farmers In Paris
Pandemic induced lockdown kept Parisians within 1 km of their homes during lockdown, benefiting urban farmers and advocates for a diversified local food supply.
Agrihoods: Futureproofing the Cities of America
The development and planning team behind Middlebrook Farm in Iowa explains how the master-planned community balances productive farmland with new community development.
Growing Use of Trails Highlights the Work of Trail Planners
Trails have become very popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out more about how trail planners in L.A. County plan for multi-use trails and promote the safe use of trails.
The Great Debate: Will the Pandemic Alter the Course of Urbanism?
The geography for the coronavirus has changed, but most of the debate about the future of cities continues along many of the same lines as in the early months of the pandemic.
Texas County First in Nation to Issue Second Stay-at-Home Order
The first shelter-at-home order issued in the pandemic's resurgence in the U.S. took effect Wednesday morning in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, an overwhelmingly Latino region that has been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.
Plan Bay Area 2050 Draft Released
A regional plan for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area is available for public comment.
How GIS Helps Plan Parks
With constrained budgets, a geographic information system (GIS) may seem like a luxury for parks agencies. But to perform data-driven planning and advance park equity, GIS is an indispensable tool.
Lake Michigan Continues to Rise, Damaging Property and Infrastructure Along the Way
A tide that began to rise in 2019 hasn't receded, according to local sources along Lake Michigan.
Biden's New Climate Plan Would Spend $2 Trillion in Four Years
Biden is amping up his campaign promises to leverage the federal government in the fight to reduce greenhouse emissions in the U.S. economy.
Washington Dam Removal Project Required Lots of Work, Expected to Deliver Big Benefits
It took years of work to remove a dam owned by the city of Bellingham in Washington State, but for wildlife in the area, the project is definitely worth the effort.
The Greener Side of Hong Kong: Five Parks to Visit
Most people only know Hong Kong as an urban jungle and one of the densest cities in the world. However, there are actually green places where its residents can go for exercise and relaxation.
20 Years Later: Envision Utah's Quality Growth Strategy Deemed a Massive Success
The state of Utah created Envision Utah in the late 1990s to address growth while maintaining quality of life and protecting the environment in the state. The plan set goals for 2020, so it's time to evaluate its success.
Trump's Latest Deregulatory Itch: The National Environmental Policy Act
In a move called "one of the biggest — and most audacious — deregulatory actions of the Trump administration," President Trump yesterday announced plans to weaken the National Environmental Policy Act for federal infrastructure projects.
Jan Gehl on 60 Years of Designing Cities for People
The 10th anniversary of "Cities for People" offers the occasion for this interview with Jan Gehl, who has devoted a 60-year career to ideas about humanistic city planning—ideas of increasing relevance in 2020.
From Ventilators to Ventilation: The Shifting Focus of the Pandemic
Ventilator availability is a major indicator for states in the South and West that are seeing record hospitalizations, but in New York, where Gov. Cuomo announced that New York City had moved to Phase III of reopening, the topic was ventilation.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
