Green roofs offer an opportunity for outdoor space and gardening for people with little or no yards.
"One look out the back window was all Vivian DeZwager needed.
As her husband, Joe Maplethorpe, worked to build the garage he'd always dreamed about behind their South Tacoma, Wash., home, a solid beige wall was beginning to take shape.
DeZwager had agreed to sacrifice much of her backyard gardening space so that Maplethorpe would have a place for his woodworking hobby. But as the edifice went up, she started having withdrawal pains.
Then inspiration struck: Why not turn the garage roof into a garden?"
FULL STORY: A Garden In The Sky
How Rotterdam’s Green Rooftops Fight Urban Heat
An elevated park in Rotterdam shows how green roofs can cool cities and create public parks in tight quarters.
Washington, D.C. Leads the Nation in Green Roofs
The nation's capital has more square feet of green roofs than any other city in the country.
Report Details the Long-Term Financial Benefits of Green Design
This report estimates that U.S. cities could save half a trillion dollars by investing in "smart surface technologies." The study takes into account obvious factors like energy use and less intuitive ones like tourism revenues.
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.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
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.
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