The Environmental Protection Agency has not done enough to control pollution from stormwater runoff in urban areas, according to a report from the National Academy of Sciences.
"Stormwater runoff is the toxic brew of oil, fertilizers and trash picked up by rain and snowmelt as the water flows over parking lots, roofs and subdivisions."
"The report said responsibility for managing stormwater must shift from developers to local governments, and permits should be issued on the boundaries of a watershed, rather than state borders. Such a change probably would require a new law and take between five years to 10 years, the report said."
"While urban areas cover only 3 percent of the U.S., it is estimated that their runoff is the primary source of pollution in 13 percent of rivers, 18 percent of lakes and 32 percent of estuaries."
Read the full story: EPA faulted on waterway pollution from sprawl
Rain gardens keep up to 99% of pollutants out of San Francisco Bay
The city's roadside rain gardens soak up stormwater and filter out dozens of harmful micropollutants.
Reframing the Human Relationship with Water
Urban runoff and contaminated water are creating major ecological damage, even in the United States. One design competition has the goal of rethinking how we handle this crucial resource.
New York Tries to Dodge Superfund Status for Canal
New York City's Gowanus Canal has been heavily polluted for years. Mayor Bloomberg said the cleanup would happen, but it never did. Now the EPA is calling the troubled waterway a Superfund site and the city is kickstarting action.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Denver is solving homelessness. Why aren't the rest of us?
Since 2023, Denver's street homeless population has decreased by 64%, proving that effective tools exist to support those in need of housing.
LA accused of breaching $1.4 billion sidewalk repair settlement
The city faces a backlog of nearly 5,000 street repair requests.
MTA kicks off six-year, $1 billion transit upgrade project
The authority is replacing the roughly 90-year-old train signals on the A and C line with modern technology.
Developers may expand largest gas pipeline network in Northwest
Pipeline giant Williams has proposed new expansions for its Northwest Pipeline from the Colorado Rockies through Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
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
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority