Climate Change

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Hurricane Harvey
Protesters holding signs calling for clean air and water.

EPA Guts Emissions Regulations

The agency is eliminating the endangerment finding that underpins the agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

February 12, 2026 - CNBC

Sun rising over downtown Los Angeles with tall palm trees visible in foreground. Image is bright orange-red indicating extreme heat.

LA County Adopts First Heat Action Plan

LA County has adopted its first Heat Action Plan, a long-term, people-centered framework to reduce heat risks, protect public health, and adapt communities, homes, and public spaces to a hotter and more dangerous climate.

February 8, 2026 - LAist

Fairmount Water Works Garden, Philadelphia Art Museum.

Pennsylvania’s Historic Sites are Under Threat From Rising Waters

The state has one of the nation’s highest concentrations of registered historic sites — and some face destruction from flooding.

February 2, 2026 - Inside Climate News

New wood-frame single-famly houses being built in Arizona with desert mountains in background.

Planning Trends for 2026: States and Cities Take Initiative, Passenger Rail Gains Steam, and the Costs of AI Revealed

With federal funding for everything from transportation projects to housing assistance under threat, city and state governments are poised to take a stronger role in building strong, resilient local economies and public services.

January 25, 2026 - Diana Ionescu

Anti-Trump signs at climate change protest in London, UK.

The United States Exits Global Climate Change Network

Mayors from across the U.S. expressed dissatisfaction with the federal government’s decision to withdraw from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

January 18, 2026 - Climate Mayors

Dark grey Tesla car with Uber logo on side plugged into charger outdoors in Bordeaux, France.

Uber Abandons Climate Commitments, Kills EV Incentive for Drivers

The company is dropping its pledge to fully electrify its fleet by 2030 and eliminating a monthly bonus for drivers who switch to EVs.

December 17, 2025 - CleanTechnica

Looking up at modern high-rise buildings with palm trees in foreground against bright blue sky in Miami, Florida.

Miami Lets Developers Buy Double Density with Climate Fund Contributions

City officials are close to passing a law that would give major density bonuses to developers in exchange for funding for seawalls, pump stations, and other climate resilience projects.

December 7, 2025 - Political Cortadito

Woman reading book with white earbud in ear while sitting on train.

Planetizen’s Top Urban Planning Books of 2025

How thoughtful deregulation could unlock a housing and infrastructure boom, the social histories that lie behind a globalizing economy, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in planning.

November 26, 2025 - Planetizen Team

Blue :clean energy" bus blurred passing on city street.

FTA Kills ‘Social Cost of Carbon’ in Transit Grant Criteria

The Capital Investments Grant program will no longer factor in the future impacts of carbon emissions.

November 20, 2025 - Progressive Railroading

Damaged white trailer from tornado.

Consumer Protection Advocates Raise Alarms About Climate Insurance Discrimination That “Mimics Redlining”

As homeowners’ insurance companies and lenders increasingly factor climate risk into their business strategies, communities may see a resurgence of racial and economic exclusion that mimics redlining. But our hands aren’t tied.

October 30, 2025 - Shelterforce Magazine

urricane flooded street with moving cars and surrounded with water houses in Florida residential area.

New Florida Law Bars Communities From Planning for Climate, Disaster Resilience

A law aimed at speeding up redevelopment after hurricanes bars “burdensome” land use regulations that could help communities rebuild with more resilience.

October 10, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Headshot of Torey Carter-Conneen and Kona Gray standing together.

In a Warmer, Wetter and More Disaster-prone World: “Nature is the Greatest Designer”

A conversation with the American Society of Landscape Architects’ CEO Torey Carter-Conneen and board president Kona Gray.

October 3, 2025 - April Economides

Flooded roadway with submerged cars after Hurricane Sandy in New York City.

Over a Quarter of US Homes Face ‘Severe or Extreme’ Climate Risk

The number of U.S. homes at risk from hurricanes, fires, or flooding is valued at close to $13 trillion.

September 10, 2025 - Realtor.com

Submerged black car and people in small boat in flooded neighborhood in Grafton, Illinois.

Mayors Along the Mississippi See Climate Change Coming — and are Shoring up Together

The Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative is bringing together local officials to address climate resilience across the region.

August 20, 2025 - Ten Across

Refinery in Los Angeles, California.

California’s Cap and Trade Program Up in the Air

The state’s carbon trading program is being attacked as ineffective from one side and overly onerous from the other.

August 14, 2025 - Los Angeles Times

Door of government building with gold Environmental Protection Agency title.

EPA Plans “Largest Deregulatory Action” in History

The agency plans to repeal a key 2009 rule that underpins the government’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

August 3, 2025 - The New York Times

Bird's eye view of thin strip of land with palapas and palm trees in Tuvalu.

Sea Level Rise is Drowning This Pacific Island Nation; They Have a Plan

The nation of Tuvalu has created an ambitious plan to relocate its entire population and preserve key cultural and historic resources as rising seas threaten to wipe it out within three decades.

July 30, 2025 - Wired

Workers in safety vests installing large solar panels in Southern California desert landscape.

21 Climate Resilience Projects Cancelled by the EPA

The federal government has pulled funding for at least 21 projects related to farming, food systems, and environmental justice to comply with one of Trump’s early executive orders.

July 25, 2025 - Civil Eats

Sunset view of tall palm trees and shorter trees lining empty street with Los Angeles skyline and crescent moon in background.

Planting for Change: How Trees Are Powering Climate Action

"Combating Climate Change with Trees" highlights how Southern California communities are strategically planting and nurturing urban forests to cool neighborhoods, improve air quality, and advance environmental justice.

July 21, 2025 - PBS

Aerial view of Chicago skyline on bright day with turquoise Lake Michigan in foreground.

The Great Lakes Cities are Touted as a Climate Refuge. The Reality is Much More Complex.

Sewage overflows, invasive species and polar vortexes — America’s climate haven might be more illusive than we think.

July 15, 2025 - Greg Flisram

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.