Carbon Footprint

Planter boxes and hoop tunnel with housing in the background

Urban Ag Activists Up In Arms About New Study

Researchers looked at the carbon footprint of urban farming versus conventional, and the results were surprising.

March 5, 2024 - Business Insider

California State Capital

California First in the Nation to Limit Embodied Carbon in Buildings

California’s Building Code accomplished a first-in-the-nation step to mitigate carbon emissions from the construction and maintenance of buildings, by limiting embodied carbon in some commercial and school buildings.

August 14, 2023 - The Architect’s Newspaper

Cars on a New York City street

Mapping Climate Impact at the Neighborhood Level

A consumption-based analysis illustrates the differences in average household emissions across census tracts.

December 15, 2022 - The New York Times

Atlanta, Georgia, Downtown, Skyline, Dusk

Georgia's Efforts to Reduce Carbon Emissions

The state is diversifying its energy sources to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030, in line with federal climate goals.

May 30, 2021 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Office Building

Is Remote Work Actually More Environmentally Friendly?

An online calculator helps companies determine the broader impacts of their decisions to continue working remotely or return to the office.

April 6, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

United States map

One U.S. State Boasts 33% Fewer Carbon Emissions Per Capita Than Any Other

California, the largest state by population in the United States, is responsible for 33% fewer carbon emissions per capita than any other state, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

August 3, 2020 - The Mercury News

Texas Wetlands

Texas Program Pays Landowners to Leave Coastal Lands Untouched

In an effort to preserve coastal Texas ecosystems and fight global warming, a new nonprofit is paying landowners to not develop their land.

August 23, 2019 - Houston Chronicle

Wood Construction

Demystifying Mass Timber

Quayside, Sidewalk Labs' smart city in Toronto, calls for ten tall buildings made entirely of wood. Here's why proponents think mass timber is a good idea, and what obstacles stand in its way.

August 23, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Los Angeles Bungalow Court

On the Massive Carbon Savings of Gentle Density

A thought experiment compares the carbon impact of three new single family homes with the same block if it contained a duplex, a triplex, and a fourplex.

June 13, 2019 - Sightline Institute

Gas and Oil Company

Royal Dutch Shell: Big Oil with a Conscience?

Big Oil companies are not all alike. Royal Dutch Shell is the first one to part ways with a major oil industry trade group over differences on climate change. It's also linking executive pay to goals to reduce the company's carbon footprint.

April 5, 2019 - The Washington Post

Factory Emissions

New Tool Calculates the Carbon Footprint of Cities

Google's Environmental Insights Explorer multiplies the power of Google Maps for the benefit of the planet.

September 14, 2018 - Fast Company

Bike Parking

Reducing Cities' Carbon Footprints

There is more than one way for a city to systematically reduce it carbon footprint.

July 25, 2018 - Kayla Matthews

golf course homes

The Resource Cost of Where We Live

Environmental impact isn't just a measure of what people buy, where we live affects the environment more than what we own or choose to drive.

April 18, 2016 - Casey Brazeal

Yuppies Out

Op-Ed: Newer Model Density Falls Short of its Promise

The general principle is simple: more density equals lower prices and less environmental impact. But suburbia's imprint is deep, both on cities themselves and on how we expect to inhabit them.

July 27, 2015 - Grist

Ice Cream, Heavy Trucks, and Carbon Emissions

An op-ed by Jostein Solheim, CEO of Ben & Jerry's, supports the second phase of greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty engines and vehicles that would become effective 2018.

July 7, 2015 - The Guardian

Rich Suburban House

Affluence Still at Home in the Suburbs

Commentators often say an influx of wealth is transforming American cities. But if prosperity is really still suburban, what are the consequences for the environment?

March 19, 2015 - Grist

As the Seas Rise, Cities 'Dither'

The world’s coastal cities now face an impossible situation as a result of climate change. While the impacts and catastrophes become inevitable, why do cities like San Francisco dither rather than act?

April 14, 2014 - SPUR

What Can NASA Learn About Fighting Climate Change By Observing L.A.?

In the mountains surrounding L.A. stand some of the most advanced environment analyzing technology in the U.S. The result of this analysis could be "a groundbreaking development in the worldwide fight against global warming."

March 1, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

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

Halloween Costumes for Urban Planners - 2nd Edition

The second edition list of the best urban planning costume ideas.

October 26, 2009 - Nate Berg

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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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Mpact Transit + Community

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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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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.