Boulder Colorado has tried peer pressure, free weatherization services, and intense publicity, but so far, voluntary efforts to increase energy efficiency have yielded mediocre results.
Boulder residents were the first in the nation to approve a "carbon-tax" to fund energy conservation programs. But the eco-city's carbon footprint dropped just 1% between 2006 and 2008.
Paul Sheldon, a consultant who advises the city on conservation, tells the Wall Street Journal's Stephanie Simon, "residents should be driving high-efficiency vehicles, and they're not. They should be carpooling, and they're not." And he says, they should be changing their own light bulbs-and they're not. Instead, a tax-payer funded team called "Techs in a Truck" is fanning out across Boulder to unscrew lightbulbs and replace them with energy-efficient models.
Climate change policy analysts wonder whether Boulder should be used as a blueprint for other municipalities. A city report published last fall calls for stepped-up regulation because voluntary actions have been slow to show results. In the short term, Boulder will shift its advertising strategy to focus on the financial benefits of saving energy, instead of environmental ones.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

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.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.

The Subversive Car-Free Guide to Trump's Great American Road Trip
Car-free ways to access Chicagoland’s best tourist attractions.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion
The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
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