Jarrett Murphy writes of a single but significant line in Mayor Bloomberg's recent State of the City address which offers a potential solution to the city’s intertwined fiscal, garbage and energy problems.
"Toward the end of his 7,500-word speech the mayor said the city will, over the next year, 'explore the possibility of cleanly converting trash into renewable energy.'" With this short but meaningful indication of a potentially significant policy shift for city government, Mayor Bloomberg returns to an idea his administration explored as early as 2002.
What has changed in the interim? According to Murphy, "The Iraq war, 'An Inconvenient Truth,' Deepwater Horizon and Fukashima Daiichi have transformed intelligent conversation about energy use." Furthermore, technological advances over the past decade have introduced new waste-to-energy options such as "'thermal processing,' which involves heating garbage to a point where its organic ingredients release a gas that can then be used like natural gas, and 'anaerobic digestion' that uses microbes to decompose garbage, releasing vapor for burning."
FULL STORY: Hope and Hesitation as Waste-to-Energy Gets New Look
They Had No Heat for Months. A New Law Let Them Sue.
In New York state, tenants can now take landlords to court directly to force repairs and get damages, without withholding rent first. Here’s how one of the first tests of the new law worked.
New York Governor Announces 2024 Transportation Plans
Gov. Hochul’s plans include the long-awaited Second Avenue Subway extension.
Main Street Redevelopment Hopes To Lure NYC Commuters to Village of Brewster
Officials in the Village of Brewster, a community of just over 2,000 people in New York's Putnam County, hope a redesign of their downtown will attract new residents who want to escape the clamor of the city.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions