Nearly 500,000 people in the rural parts of the United States cannot afford modern plumbing.
In rural America many people are not connected to municipal sewer lines. For the poor in these communities, this means plumbing is a real financial burden. According to a story by Sabrina Tavernise in the New York Times, "Many people have failing septic tanks and are too poor to fix them. Others… have nothing at all."
This is not only a problem for the poor who live without some of the comforts most of us take for granted, it’s also public health issue. Sewage that is not properly disposed of can get into drinking water, which can lead to any number of dangerous diseases including Giardia and Hepatitis A.
Tavernise's article goes on to explain how widespread this issue is: "Nearly half a million households in the United States lack the basic dignity of hot and cold running water, a bathtub or shower, or a working flush toilet, according to the Census Bureau."
Many of the people Tavernise spoke to had little faith that the problem would be solved. While some were connected to city lines, others describe how they had aspired to put in septic systems, but could never afford it. Dorothy Rudolf, a resident of Tyler, Alabama said about the $6,000 it would cost her to put in a septic system: "That was a whole lot of money, and it still is."
Read the full story: A Toilet, but No Proper Plumbing: A Reality in 500,000 U.S. Homes
Guerilla Greywater Goes Public Policy
Once guerrilla, now becoming policy, greywater reuse is picking up in cities across the country.
California’s ‘unrecognizable’ water plan may go down the drain
After four years of regulatory processes, water agencies say the plan to overhaul how cities and farms take water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has changed dramatically.
Satanic place names
From streams and lakes to valleys and canyons, I mapped more than 1,000 places named after the Devil.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment
The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.
Dallas releases zoning code overhaul to officials
The drafted overhaul is over 400 pages long.
NYC renovations for dangerous, ‘mercilessly crammed’ street delayed until 2027
Construction was supposed to begin this fall.
San Diego’s Midway Rising project gets greenlight from city council
The project looks to become the largest affordable housing development in California's history.
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
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello