The headline from Quartz doesn’t hold back: "Renewable energy just had its best year ever."
Cassie Werber reports: "The International Energy Agency last week sounded an unusually positive note, with one piece of data at the center: global growth is now possible without increased carbon emissions."
That possibility is already reality, according to Werber: "In 2014, for the first time, global GDP grew but CO2 emissions stayed flat (pdf, p. 17). The two had 'decoupled…'"
Werber finds more good news in a separate report from REN21 [pdf], finding that "23 countries are producing more than 10% of their final energy use—that is, not just electricity—from renewables."
FULL STORY: Charts: Renewable energy just had its best year ever

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.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

Starting in 2026, You Can Charge Your EV at Waffle House
The 24-hour chain infamous for brawls and, to a lesser extent, waffles plans to install fast-chargers at many of its locations.
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 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