Carbon Emissions

The 20 Dirtiest Cities in the U.S.

California has 7 of the 20 cities with the poorest air quality, according to a list complied by Forbes. Bakersfield, which has 60 days of unhealthy air a year, takes the top spot for its hot and dusty weather and proximity to oil fields.

November 17, 2011 - Forbes

Boulder Votes to Make Its Own Power

Last week, Boulder, Colorado voters approved the idea of firing their power company in favor of generating their own.

November 7, 2011 - GOOD Magazine

Hauling By Barge is Back

The Manchester Ship Canal has gone underused for shipping goods for decades, but is now having a resurgence with the realization that barge freight can greatly reduce carbon emissions.

August 18, 2011 - CNN

Targeted, Hyper-Dense Neighborhoods Can Reduce Emissions

Alex Steffen presents the idea that by focusing development into "hyperdense" communities you create a host of benefits that reduce climate change by reducing trips.

August 9, 2011 - TED

Carbon Tax Becomes a New Reality in Australia

Australia's first term prime minister Julia Gillard announced a carbon tax that will charge $23 per metric ton. Though Australia is one of the world's top carbon polluters, the program will start next year, reports Sarah Laskow, GOOD Magazine.

July 13, 2011 - GOOD Magazine

The Environmental Impact of New Cars

The new "Eco-Drive Index" offers a mode of comparing the average monthly environmental impact by an individual U.S. driver who has purchased a new vehicle that month.

July 5, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

Slow Down, Autobahn

A new proposal in front of the European Commission would put speed limits on the autobahn to reduce carbon emissions, and ban gasoline and diesel powered vehicles by the year 2050.

March 30, 2011 - Wired

More Evidence that City Living is the Greenest

Ever since David Owen's book Green Metropolis pushed forward the idea that cities are better for the planet, people have been debating if it's really so. New evidence says yes.

February 7, 2011 - Grist

Hybrid Batteries for Boats and Ferries in the Works

Hybrid technology for marine transportation is a growing industry, as startup business in New Brunswick, Canada attests.

January 17, 2011 - New Brunswick Business Journal

The High Cost of Building Parking

Beyond the fact that supplying lots of parking encourages driving, a new study quantifies the environmental impact of parking lot construction.

January 12, 2011 - The Infrastructurist

Encouraging Low Carbon Cities

Controlling carbon emissions hinges on encouraging cities that have small carbon footprints, writes Matthew E. Kahn.

December 17, 2010 - World Policy Blog

Japan's New 'Smart' City

The city Yokohama could be Japan's next exportable good. officials there want it to be a low-emissions "smart" city -- a model they hope to be able to convince other cities to replicate.

October 15, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

Transit, Not Traffic Reduction, Helps NYC Hit Greenhouse Gas Targets

Is New York City's green transportation revolution overhyped? It turns out that emissions from private cars actually increased between 2007 and 2009, and that almost none of the city's greenhouse gas reductions came from the transportation sector.

October 5, 2010 - Streetsblog

The Neighborhood Carbon Challenge

A neighborhood in Corvallis, Oregon, is the pilot site of a neighborhood-wide "carbon challenge" in which residents try to reduce their carbon footprint.

August 1, 2010 - Corvallis Gazette-Times

Cutting Airport Infrastructure to Cut Flyers' Emissions

British officials are looking to help their efforts to curb carbon emissions by capping growth on airport runways that they say encourage "binge flying".

July 4, 2010 - The New York Times

Considering "Eneropa"

Rem Koolhaas and his practice have released a vision of Europe 50 years from now, connected by an extensive smart grid and utilizing solar, wind and other green technologies to power the continent.

May 10, 2010 - The Guardian U.K.

U.S. Carbon Emissions Drop 7%

In the most significant decrease since 1949, carbon emissions in the U.S. fell 7% in 2009. Sadly, part of the falloff is the result of the economic crisis.

May 10, 2010 - Fast Company

Combined NHTSA & EPA Standards for New Cars Issued

Normally fuel economy standards are set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Due to the 2007 Supreme Court ruling on the Clean Air Act, the new rules are jointly issued by the EPA to regulate tailpipe emissions as well as CAFE.

April 5, 2010 - Union Of Concerned Scientists

CO2 'Domes' Pose Problems for Cities

New research suggests that huge domes of carbon dioxide hover over urban areas, which is prompting some scientists and policymakers to stress the importance of cities as the frontlines of the war on greenhouse gas emissions.

March 18, 2010 - Grist

Are California's Green Laws Killing Jobs?

California republicans are arguing that the state's environmental laws are hurting the economy. This editorial from the Los Angeles Times questions the wisdom of that argument and wonders what negative impacts would come from lifting CEQA.

March 11, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.