Prisons around the country are looking less and less like the typical concrete box; Washington state has 34 LEED-certified prisons, some of which offer "green work" programs.
"This fall, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced 16 new green retrofitting projects, which they estimate will save $3 million in energy costs each year. The state already has solar power fields at two facilities, and plans to build six more in the coming year. A new $176 million juvenile detention facility in Alameda County - home to Berkeley and Oakland - recently became the country's first jail to receive LEED gold certification.
Other green projects - from wind turbines to biomass boilers - have been announced by Departments of Corrections in Virginia, Nevada and Indiana.
Mike Callahan, the physical plant director at the Putnamville Correctional Facility in Indiana, says the facility's biomass boiler alone, which burns scrap wood from the prison's pallet industry, has saved $6,300 a day in gas bills."
FULL STORY: Greening the Prison-Industrial Complex
Fourth Ward Project Aims for Sustainability on Atlanta's Beltline
A new megaproject hopes to bring new life to a former industrial site.
‘Shawshank Redemption’: 5 Adaptive Reuse Strategies for Shuttered Jails
Redeveloping closed correctional facilities in ways that foster just and thriving communities is a growing trend across the United States.
Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?
New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA
The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
Texas Safety Advocates Raise Alarm in Advance of Tesla Robotaxi Launch
The company plans to deploy self-driving taxis in Austin with no oversight from state or local transportation agencies.
How to Fund SF’s Muni Without Cutting Service
Three solutions for bridging the San Francisco transit agency’s budget gap without reducing service for transit-dependent riders.
Austin Tests Self-Driving Bus
Autonomous buses could improve bus yard operations for electric fleets, according to CapMetro.
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)