Climate Change
Cool Planning for a Hotter Future
Global warming increases the importance of designing buildings and communities that are comfortable, efficient, and safe in hot conditions.
Fort Worth Spending More on Flood Control; Still Well Short of What’s Needed
Fort Worth could spend $136 million on stormwater infrastructure and flood control over the next five years. In all, the city needs more like $1 billion of investment.
Department of the Interior Forced to Intervene on the Colorado River
More questions than answers on the Colorado River this week as the federal government failed to deliver on threats to force Southwest states to cut back on water use.
How Extreme Weather Threatens Transit Systems
As weather events become more intense and unpredictable, transit agencies must take steps to protect their aging infrastructure from flooding, storms, and extreme heat.
Colorado Could Reject Highway Expansion in Favor of Climate-Friendly Planning
A proposed transportation strategy could shift the state’s focus away from driving and toward incentivizing public transit use, walking, and biking.
ASLA Commits to Profession-Wide Climate Action
The American Society of Landscape Architects has assembled a task force to create an action plan focused on climate change and biodiversity.
Stopping Climate Change Requires Doing, Not Studying
A $1.1 billion donation to Stanford seeks to mitigate climate change. As impressive as that gesture is, the real solutions to climate change lie in hearts and minds around the world—and not in Palo Alto, California.
Infrastructure Must Catch Up With Climate Change
The worsening effects of extreme weather events are accelerating the deterioration of critical infrastructure, leaving communities more vulnerable.
$7.3 Billion Federal Resilience Funding Program Announced
The Biden administration announced guidance for $7.3 billion in funding under the PROTECT Formula Program at the end of July.
'Inflation Reduction Act' a Mixed Bag for Climate Action, Planning Innovation
A roundup of all the emerging news and commentary regarding the Inflation Reduction Act, which last week broke through a Congressional roadblock to resuscitate some, but not nearly all, of the Build Back Better legislation that failed in 2021.
Portland Releases 43-Step Climate Action Plan
A draft plan outlines suggested actions to build resilience, minimize carbon emissions, and protect vulnerable residents from extreme weather events.
Connecting Land Use and Transportation Planning to Save the Climate
The United States will have to make major changes to long-standing land use and transportation paradigms to prevent the worst outcomes of climate change. How to make those changes was the subject of a recent podcast.
The Rise of Artificial Turf
Once scratchy and unrealistic, artificial grass has come a long way. Now, it’s quickly becoming a popular lawn replacement as droughts and climate change make traditional lawns harder to maintain.
Ways the EPA Can Still Fight Climate Change
Despite the Supreme Court’s recent decision to limit the EPA’s ability to regulate emissions from power plants, the agency still has a range of tools at its disposal for enforcing pollution controls and reducing harmful emissions.
Report: U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reductions Not Hitting Paris Agreement Goal
The United States is making modest gains in the power and transportation sectors, but emissions in the industrial sector are holding steady, absent new reduction initiatives.
Can Los Angeles Join the Anti-Gas Station Movement?
A growing number of cities in California have prohibited the construction of new gas stations. Los Angeles could soon consider an ordinance to do the same—in a landmark move for the city some believe to be a symbol of car-dependent sprawl.
High Gas Costs Making a Small Dent in Carbon Emissions
Americans are driving slightly less due to high prices at the pump, but this reduction in driving is only making a small impact on overall U.S. carbon emissions.
Biden’s Environmental Legacy (So Far)
President Biden campaigned on promises to restore many of the environmental regulations rolled back by the previous administration, while promising new efforts to tackle environmental injustice and climate change.
Did the Supreme Court Gut Federal Power?
The Supreme Court limited the EPA's power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Some commentators believe that this decision will virtually eliminate EPA power—but the decision is too ambiguous to support such a clear conclusion.
Supreme Court Guts the U.S. EPA’s Ability to Limit Carbon Emissions
The consequences of this ruling have long been foretold. With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now officially barred from the fight against climate change, Congress will have to act to reduce carbon emissions.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
