Rain gardens and xeriscapes help conserve water and cut costs.
"Gardeners who plant rain gardens and xeriscape (drought-tolerant) gardens, however, can manage unpredictable Mother Nature in ways that are friendly to the environment, our wallets and a precious resource: water...Spence's firm works with municipalities, housing developments and industrial sites to create large-scale landscapes that use native plants to catch and use rain water. Homeowners can do the same on a smaller scale by planting a rain garden... Xeriscapes, coined from the Greek word "xeros" meaning dry, and scape, from the Anglo-Saxon word "schap," for view, feature drought-tolerant plants, including native wildflowers and grasses. Long popular in western states suffering from water shortages, xeriscapes are attracting Midwestern gardeners interested in low-maintenance plantings that don't require constant watering."
Thanks to Colin Duesing
FULL STORY: Water wise -

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.

Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.

San Jose Mayor Takes Dual Approach to Unsheltered Homeless Population
In a commentary published in The Mercury News, Mayor Matt Mahan describes a shelter and law enforcement approach to ending targeted homeless encampments within Northern California's largest city.

Atlanta Changes Beltline Rail Plan
City officials say they are committed to building rail connections, but are nixing a prior plan to extend the streetcar network.

Are Black Mayors Being Pushed Out of Office?
The mayors of New York, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh all stand to lose their seats in the coming weeks. They also all happen to be Black.
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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.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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