This post from The Nature Conservancy examines the impact of urbanization on nature and finds that our rising food needs will be one of the most important implications.
"The ecological implications of an increasingly urban world are in an important sense different than the demographic or metaphorical implications. In a world where humanity is overwhelmingly urban, our population dynamics or our cultural evolution will be mostly disconnected with what is happening in rural parts of the world. However, an urban world is still intensely linked with rural areas ecologically - we all need food."
Making sure we're able to provide enough food and farmable land means focusing efforts on improving agricultural efficiency, according to author Rob McDonald.
Read the full story: The Great Urbanization and What it Means for Nature: Part 3
Feeding the World in 2050
Growing populations and diminishing land will make feeding people a challenge in the near future. This piece from Popular Science looks at eight strategies to keep the world fed.
The Fastest Growing Cities in the World
None of the fastest growing cities in the world are found in North or South America.
Census Data Reveal Increasing Density in the U.S.—Reversing a Two-Decade Trend
The New York Times is calling 2010 to 2020 the "Downtown Decade."
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
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.
Brightline Florida files for bankruptcy
The transit company is over $5 billion in debt.
St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction
The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.
Pennsylvania is building data centers in abandoned mines
Housing data centers in mines provides an alternative to destroying local forests and may spare residents from data centers’ noise and air pollution.
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
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello