The LEED green building rating system doesn't acknowledge lumber from the state of Georgia as sustainable, so one state lawmaker suggests throwing out LEED altogether. Critics call it throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
"Georgia lawmakers are considering a bill that would effectively ban state buildings from being certified by LEED," reports Molly Samuel.
The logic that supports the bill is surprising: "Rep. Mike Cheokas, R-Americus, is concerned because most lumber from Georgia isn’t considered sustainable by LEED. So he’s proposing that all state buildings – including those on university campuses – can only use green building standards that do consider Georgia lumber to be sustainable." Cheokas is quoted in the story defending the bill as a Georgia jobs bill. The article discusses the implications of the law for universities in particular.
Read the full story: Georgia May Ban Green Certification For State Buildings
How Zoning Affects Greenhouse Gas Emissions
As the urgency of the climate crisis increases, a paper in the Notre Dame Law Review argues that increased density is not a universally effective strategy to reduce emissions and that different strategies are needed for low-carbon places versus high-carbon ones.
15 Cities Receive Grant Support LEED for Cities and Communities Program
The LEED for Cities and Communities grant program will support the first 15 cities to seek certification under LEED v4.1
Net-Zero Energy Homes Use Technology to Work With the Energy Grid
A housing development near Tampa will have high-tech smart homes with grid-optimized solar power.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Housing is the top priority of Seattle’s sole new councilmember
Jenks campaigned on building 1,000 new units of affordable housing.
New tax cuts may slash $1.5 billion in funding for Miami transit, public parks
Amendment 3 will save Miami-Dade homeowners $2,700 in 2028.
Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania hope to finally advance climate goals post-midterms
The three states have spent years under Republican or divided control.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority