John DeCicco, senior fellow for automotive strategies at the Environmental Defense Fund, and author of the Green Book--a rating system for the environmental impact of cars--talks about the regulatory reforms necessary for the car industry.
The article is an exclusive interview wth John DeCicco, senior fellow for automotive strategies at the Environmental Defense Fund:
"The big missing piece of sustainability in this industry is the carbon cap. We can't make the automobiles sustainable unless we do something about fuel, our reliance on oil, and the unrestrained greenhouse gas emissions associated with it."
"To date, the policy framework has been to tackle these things individually without any clear, overarching principle. The individual elements of policy all have their merits, including California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard, efforts on renewable fuels, and sustainable transportation in terms of transit, smart growth, land use planning, and so on. To date, the policy framework has been a case where all of these different pieces haven't added up."
"I developed the Green Book and the green score approach in the late '90s. We launched the first edition in 1998. One of the reasons I developed the green score approach was because the debate over alternative cars and fuels back then was much as it is now, the particulars were somewhat different, but there was a cacophony of voices saying, "No, it's going to be electric. No, it's going to be methanol, fuel cells, natural gas, etc." Every proponent of one technology or another would marshal their arguments about why their approach was the best and, ergo, why the taxpayers should support them through subsidies or policies. From a customer point of view there was an unmet need among the public of, "what can I do?" Many of these solutions that were being proffered then, just like unfortunately many of them are today, were really out of reach for the vast majority of consumers."
Thanks to James Brasuell
FULL STORY: Environmental Defense Fund Explores Strategies for Building a Sustainable American Car Industry

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.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance
The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.

Spokane Mayor Introduces Housing Reforms Package
Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposals include deferring or waiving some development fees to encourage more affordable housing development.

Houston Mayor Kills Another Bike Lane
The mayor rejected a proposed bike lane in the Montrose district in keeping with his pledge to maintain car lanes.
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