Americans are driving slightly less due to high prices at the pump, but this reduction in driving is only making a small impact on overall U.S. carbon emissions.

“Gas prices in much of the United States shot past the $5 a gallon mark last month before a slight drop, and Americans have responded by driving a bit less, two sets of data show. June gas sales are about 5% below pre-pandemic 2019 levels and 2.6% below a year ago, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.” Yet, according to an article by Seth Borenstein and Tom Krisher in the Denver Post, “a 6% drop in driving roughly translates to only a 1% drop in overall U.S. carbon emissions, [former University of Michigan professor Michael] Sivak said.”
The article notes that “High gas prices are ‘unequivocally’ good for fighting climate change because people use less fossil fuel and emissions go down, but the poorest people, who don’t have other options also ‘suffer the most,’ said climate economist Solomon Hsiang, director of the Climate Impact Lab at the University of California, Berkeley.” Advocates for higher gas taxes say that while higher gas prices are necessary, the government could provide financial assistance to low-income families without subsidizing driving.
“Biden has frequently said he doesn’t want high gas prices, attacked oil companies’ multi-billion dollar profits, proposed new offshore oil and gas drilling despite campaign promises and proposed a gas tax holiday, which congressional leaders said won’t fly.”
FULL STORY: Higher gas prices hurt pockets, make small dent in emissions

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Car Designs Make it Harder to See Pedestrians
Blind spots created by thicker pillars built to withstand rollover crashes are creating dangerous conditions for people outside vehicles.

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie