Environment
Good Luck Buying a Small, Affordable Car in the United States
Honda recently ended the Fit, a small, affordable subcompact car favored by urban dwellers (like the managing editor of Planetizen). The U.S. car market is now completely dislocated from the reality of the rest of the world.
Washington State Having a 'Dam-Busting Summer'
Two dams have been removed from watersheds in Washington State in as many months.
The 'Great American Outdoors Act' Signed Into Law
By signing this new law into effect, President Trump seems ot have departed from his administration's previous actions on public lands.
Mask Mandates Without Enforcement Amount to Half-Measures
Issuing a ticket to a pedestrian for not wearing a mask in Miami is like issuing a ticket to a motorist for not wearing a seatbelt, states a specially-detailed Miami police officer. Welcome to the "new normal" in this coronavirus hotspot.
Cost of Electric Vehicles Will Soon Rival Gasoline Counterparts
As soon as a few years from now, electric sedans will cost the same as an equivalent gas vehicle. A team at Carnegie Mellon University is researching how long it will take for other types of electric vehicles to catch up.
Staying Healthy During the Pandemic
Local parks and green spaces that enable safe social distancing have never been more important to people living in cities. The Trust for Public Land has released a new report showing their importance and the challenges they are facing.
One U.S. State Boasts 33% Fewer Carbon Emissions Per Capita Than Any Other
California, the largest state by population in the United States, is responsible for 33% fewer carbon emissions per capita than any other state, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
New York Updating its Comprehensive Waterfront Plan
Vision 2030 will update the award winning Vision 2020 New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.
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.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
