Achieving sustainability can take one of two paths, according to Richard Carson: centralized or decentralized policy. Choosing one will be crucial.
"[I]t is no wonder that the concept of sustainability resonates with us. We would all love to live in a world with a sustainable economy, energy resources, and climate.
The real question, if you accept this premise, is how do we achieve this new sustainable world? I think that there are two very different paths to being sustainable. The dichotomy is that of socialist versus survivalist sustainability. In other words, do we nationalize and centralize sustainable policies or do we individualize and decentralize them? Do we regulate societal norms or do we incentivize them? These are mutually exclusive in the sense that the public policy approach is very different for each."
Read the full story: INSIGHT: Sustainability -- The Great Divide
Swapping your gas car for an EV is greener than keeping it, research shows
An EV repays the 'carbon debt' caused by building it after 4,400 miles.
Climate change could double household water costs in some cities, study finds
New research suggests that climate change-related stressors are straining municipal water systems.
DC energy efficiency rule requires buildings to upgrade their infrastructure or face millions in fines
Building owners and condo co-op members say the upgrades are often prohibitively expensive.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Record-breaking wildlife overpass in Colorado brings 91% reduction in animal collisions
Prior to the overpass, vehicles were hitting one deer per day on Colorado’s Interstate 25.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Trump wants to cancel nearly 98% of funding for HUD housing support program
Multiple housing groups are suing the administration in an effort to preserve the funding.
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 Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello