Good green jobs are on the way - just not right away due to recession. Stimulus funds - not just from U.S. but many nations are investing in their economies by targeting renewable energy, smart electricity grids, energy efficiency, and more.
"HSBC, the international banking group, forecasts that the market for wind energy will drop by 20 per cent in 2009, the first time in years that wind companies have seen anything but rapid growth.
Recycling has suffered a serious blow as the price of commodities has plunged...Environmental consultancies are also facing a tough year.
Yet, despite these portents of gloom, there are reasons to be cheerful for both businesses in the sector and companies looking to improve their environmental performance. One is that a large amount of money is about to enter the "green" economy, with the stimulus packages governments are concocting as a cure for the financial crisis. About $430bn of the planned $2,800bn of stimulus spending is likely to go on green measures, according to HSBC."
From A massive injection of clean energy cash:
"The economic stimulus, amounting to more than $2,800bn, is being compared with the "New Deal" programme of spending on national infrastructure initiated by Franklin D Roosevelt in the 1930s, in his attempt to pull the US out of Depression.
But this time, many of the governments involved are looking to focus large slices of their funds on projects that will help change the footing of the world economy, away from its high consumption of fossil fuels to a low-carbon basis.
The phrase "green new deal" means different things in different countries, but broadly it refers to the argument that if we direct the stimulus spending into building more of the same kind of infrastructure that we already have, such as coal-fired power plants and petrol-guzzling vehicles, it will result in ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions, provoking a global warming crisis."
FULL STORY: Reasons to be cheerful in a downturn

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.

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.

The French Solution to Congested Tunnels: Make Them Car-Free
Bay Area transportation officials keep expanding car capacity. Lyon’s Croix Rousse Tunnel offers a different way.

Missouri Governor Reverses Anti-Discrimination Housing Policies
A new state law bars cities from prohibiting source-of-income discrimination against tenants using Section 8 housing vouchers.

USDOT Launches Unfunded 'SAFE ROADS' Program
The program targets “distractions” and “political messages or artwork,” and paves the way for autonomous vehicles.
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.
City of Fort Worth
planning NEXT
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie