Nate Berg examines the nexus between water use and energy use, and the need to bring this frequently overlooked connection to the attention of planners and designers.
In an effort to shed light on the inexorable link between water and energy, Berg points to the high use of energy in transporting water and the high use of water in creating energy. For example, In 2005, "the California Energy Commission found that water-related energy use accounts for 19 percent of the state's energy use."
This concern was the main focus of a conference hosted by the Arid Lands Institute last week, which laid the groundwork for emerging designs and ideas on smart water uses. The design fields are just beginning to develop processes to help integrate these resources, which has traditionally been the purview of engineers.
Hadley Arnold, co-director of the Arid Lands Institute affirms that the resources of water and energy cannot be separated. "When you sit down to come up with your general plan or your sustainability plan or your climate action plan, if you're not looking at water goals, energy goals and climate goals as all aligning, you're missing an opportunity,"
FULL STORY: Why Energy Use Is Really Water Use
Santa Monica Designs Greenest Municipal Building in the World
Amber Richane, Project Manager for the city of Santa Monica's new City Services Building, on the city's commitment to building the world's most sustainable public building.
Architecture Projects with a Regional Mindframe
An increasing amount of architecture projects in the U.S. are taking regional concerns like water and energy production into consideration.
NOAA Great Lakes Lab Loses Key Funding
Cuts at a lab that monitors water quality in the Great Lakes region could harm efforts to prevent dangerous algal blooms.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.
More Than a Park: A Safe Haven for Generations in LA’s Chinatown
Alpine Recreation Center serves as a vital cultural and community hub in Los Angeles' Chinatown, offering a safe, welcoming space for generations of Chinese American residents to gather, connect, and thrive amidst rapid urban change.
New Trail Project Enhances Safety and Access to Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge
Jefferson County is improving safe access to Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge with new trails, a bridge, and signage, as part of the Rocky Mountain Greenway project, ensuring environmental safety and educating visitors about the site’s history.
Wisconsin Awarded $12 Million for Brownfield Redevelopment Amid Broader EPA Budget Cuts
The EPA provided the funding to Wisconsin for brownfield cleanups in cities like Milwaukee and Racine, even as broader agency budget cuts under the Trump administration raise concerns about future environmental protection capacity.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions