NYU study finds 30% decrease in use of disposable bags since the city of Chicago implemented a seven-cent tax on them.
On February 1st of this year, Chicago implemented a seven-cent tax on plastic bags. According to an NYU study, that tax has already had an impact. The study compared bag consumption in months before the tax to the months just after it was implemented and found a sharp decline.
"The average number of disposable bags used per shopping trip decreased by roughly one bag per trip—over a 40 percent decrease. Additionally, less than 50 percent of customers in Chicago used any disposable bags after the tax was implemented—a decrease of more than 30 percentage points," Rachel Dovey reports for Next City.
Read the full story: Chicago Sees Big Shift in Grocery Shopping Habit
Creating Ocean-Safe Plastic from Seashells
USC researchers have created a biodegradable, marine-safe plastic alternative using calcium carbonate from seashells, offering a promising solution to ocean pollution.
Plastic Bag Bans Actually Worked
U.S. coastal areas with plastic bag bans or fees saw significant reductions in plastic bag pollution — but plastic waste as a whole is growing.
Snohomish River Gains Legal Rights
A new law in one Washington town enshrines the river’s legal right to “exist, regenerate, and flourish.”
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.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
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
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority