Chicago is trying to position itself as one of the greenest cities in America, but longheld plans to upgrade the city's overburdened stormwater system highlight how far it has to go.
The city's green roofs and green alleys have garnered attention, but still make up only a small portion of the city's large footprint.
"When it rains like cats and dogs in Chicago, the combined sewers overflow and release stormwater and untreated waste into the Chicago River. As the city's own Web site acknowledges, this hurts the river's health and habitat. The excess stormwater can even flood homeowners' basements. The problem persists despite the presence of the so-called "Deep Tunnel," a massive network of tunnels meant to divert the runoff and move it to surface reservoirs until water reclamation plants can sanitize it. Not only is this stormwater management system unable to handle big rainfalls, it's enormously expensive."
Read the full story: Eco-Toupees and Plastic Alleys
Rain gardens keep up to 99% of pollutants out of San Francisco Bay
The city's roadside rain gardens soak up stormwater and filter out dozens of harmful micropollutants.
Chicago's underground flood control system is almost full
The system known as Deep Tunnel has never filled much more than halfway, but the cumulative effect of recent rains is putting suburban communities at risk of flooding.
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.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Idaho may see an 18% drop in federal surface transit funding — the largest estimated cut in the US
Transit systems in rural communities are much more reliant on federal funding to provide their services.
How ‘post-disaster gentrification’ alters neighborhoods after natural calamities
After hurricanes, fires or other calamities, the original residents of a community are often replaced by younger, wealthier residents.
Maryland local governments examine if they should have more power to raise property taxes
Maryland’s housing market is out of reach for the majority of moderate-income residents.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello