The general consensus is that urbanization has had a negative effect on the environment, though its extent is difficult to define. Pollution is a common measure, and though some urban areas' air qualities are improving, others are falling far behind.
Researchers and environmentalists have long known that fuel use has been one of the most significantly concentrated problems in urban areas. But this problem, and other commonly associated with the urban experience, is not isolated to urban areas. Global warming, for example, has causes in both urban and rural areas. In many instances, the impacts of rural areas are more significant than those caused by urban areas.
" 'What is needed is research that focuses on the large-scale, long-term environmental changes, not just on the immediate impact of cities,' concludes the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP), a global research alliance."
" 'Until recently, this has been quite unexplored territory,' it says. It is territory which badly needs exploration if the full impacts of 21st Century urbanisation are to be fully understood."
FULL STORY: Finding green in the concrete jungle
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.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.
Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?
Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont