The new department will develop plans for addressing the impacts of air and water pollution, extreme heat, and climate change on vulnerable communities.

A new Los Angeles County office created by the Board of Supervisors will focus on environmental justice, reports Steve Scauzillo in the Los Angeles Daily News. “The new department will develop a strategy for addressing environmental pollution, which disproportionately affects low-income communities and people of color, the supervisors said.”
Supervisors want to see the new office assess a variety of environmental hazards, such as communities harmed by pollution from traffic, including neighborhoods along the busy corridors that shuttle goods from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to distribution centers in the Inland Empire and beyond; communities affected by battery plants and other industrial polluters; and neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by extreme heat that would benefit from cooling strategies to keep homes and public spaces safe for residents.
According to Supervisor Janice Hahn, as quoted in the article, “The agency would collect data and hold industries accountable for environmental degradation or potential public health hot spots.” Supervisor Hahn added that finding methods to keep homes and neighborhoods cool is more important than providing cooling centers, which frequently go unused, saying, “We should be meeting people where they are to stay cool in their homes.”
FULL STORY: Battling climate change is task of new LA County Office of Environmental Justice and Climate Health

The Right to Mobility
As we consider how to decarbonize transportation, preserving mobility, especially for lower- and middle-income people, must be a priority.

Bend Eliminates Parking Minimums
The city is complying with an Oregon state mandate that some cities have challenged in court.

How Virginia Counties Use Zoning to Stifle Development
Some state legislators are proposing action at the state level as counties block development using zoning and development requirements even as housing prices rise sharply in the region.

Seattle Brings Free Transit to Public Housing
Linking transit programs to housing can lower administrative costs and streamline the process for riders.

Columbus Could Lower Downtown Speed Limits
The city council will vote on a proposal to lower speed limits to 25 miles per hour to improve safety and make downtown more walkable and welcoming to pedestrians.

Traffic Safety Bills Proposed in Washington’s State Legislature
As traffic fatalities continue to climb in Washington and around the country, three proposed state bills would prohibit some right turns on red, reduce the BAC limit for DUI arrests, and require more young drivers to take driver’s education courses.
York County Government
York County, Human Resources
Virginia Passenger Rail Authority
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Sonoma County Transportation Authority
City of Piedmont, CA
City of Morganton
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.