The city is requiring restaurants and other businesses to cut back their water use and could pause new data center development until it addresses them in its zoning code.
Denver is implementing new restrictions on water use, asking restaurants to only serve water to customers on request, reports Erin Feiger in The Cool Down.
The city wants to reduce water use by 20% over the next year, and is limiting the water available for “lawns, gardens, and nonessential businesses.”
The article notes that while local businesses are faced with restrictions, Denver is home to almost 50 data centers, which use significant amounts of water. At the end of March, Denver city council members proposed a one-year moratorium on new data centers to give the city time to develop “thoughtful regulations” for data centers.
Read the full story: City orders restaurants to only serve water upon request as data center density grows
Poll: 75% of Americans oppose data centers near their homes
As they proliferate across the country, data centers face growing backlash from communities concerned about their rapid growth and unknown impacts.
Texas bars data centers from raising utility costs for residents
Gov. Abbott is calling on the state's utility regulator to take steps to reduce energy costs for consumers and ensure data center operators pay for any added costs.
Poll: Low-income Americans resist data centers 5 times as often as high-earning counterparts
A new survey reveals differences between how Americans at various income levels perceive data centers.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago Avenue bridge construction delays enrages city leaders
The bridge has been closed since 2025. The city originally aimed to re-open it in December, and now expects to finish construction in 2027.
NYC bus network redesign speeds up Queens buses
Rush routes have seen a 4.6% speed increase after the redesign.
California High-Speed Rail Authority picks trainset manufacturer
The California High-Speed Rail Authority aims to start servicing passengers by 2033.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority