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,"
Read the 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.
To guarantee residents fresh water, Tijuana looks to the sea
Construction on one of the largest desalination plants in Latin America will soon break ground to reduce reliance on the dwindling Colorado river.
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.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
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