Climate Change
The Problem with Tree Planting Programs
Ambitious campaigns to plant trees in urban areas often don't take into account the complexities of growing and maintaining effective urban forests.
Lake Powell's Houseboat Launches Running Dry
Record low water levels are sinking Lake Powell's houseboat industry as climate change threatens water supplies in the West.
How Extreme Heat Threatens the Electrical Grid
Higher demand for electricity and lower capacity for production due to more intense heat waves are straining the power grid and causing concern for future energy production.
Fighting Climate Change Requires Serious Transportation Reform
The federal government can encourage public transit use and electrification through reforms in transportation systems and land use policies.
Subways Are Becoming Flood Zones
While cities race to protect their subway infrastructure from more intense flooding, some experts argue that more investment is needed in more resilient street-level infrastructure.
In Extreme Heat Waves, Cities Need 'Social Resilience' to Help the Most Vulnerable
This summer's heat waves wreaked havoc on physical infrastructure, but also highlighted vulnerabilities in our social support systems.
Tree Equity Score: The U.S. Needs 522 Million More Urban Trees
As climate change intensifies the urban heat island effect, poorer neighborhoods bear the brunt of tree canopy inequity.
Redlined Neighborhoods Suffer More From Extreme Heat
The recent heat wave in the Pacific Northwest highlighted how historical inequities still affect the health and well-being of low-income and marginalized communities.
The 'INVEST in America Act' Would Help States Kick the Highway Habit
While Congress debates its bipartisan infrastructure deal, a House-approved bill, the INVEST in America Act, waits in the wings with the potential to alter the direction of transportation planning in the United States.
U.S. on Track to Reduce Emissions by 2030, Report Says
The latest edition of the Rhodium Group's "Taking Stock" report accounts for the uncertainties of Covid-19 recovery while charting the trends in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
The World's Economic Bailout Came With Huge Environmental Costs
The world collectively spent on $17 trillion economic stimulus during the pandemic. The vast majority of that spending will make climate change and other environmental pollution much worse.
Chicago Faces its Own Climate Challenges
Historically stable Lake Michigan has seen its water levels fluctuate dramatically over the last decade, posing increasingly urgent threats to lakeside property and causing severe droughts and flooding.
New Study Ranks the Urban Heat Island Effect in U.S. Cities
A new analysis by Climate Central evaluates the intensity of urban heat islands in cities around the United States—New Orleans tops the list.
Opinion: Massachusetts Should Prioritize 'Shovel-Worthy' Projects
When distributing new federal funding, state leaders should ensure that selected projects are aligned with the state's climate resilience goals.
Surfside Collapse Highlights Florida's 'Unique Vulnerabilities'
A coastal geologist urges state leaders and residents to start planning for 'managed retreat' away from the coastal communities most vulnerable to sea level rise.
New Long-Range Transportation Plan for the D.C. Region Will Include a Climate Addendum
The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board has almost completed the latest version fo the Visualize 2045 long-range transportation plan, but it is already making plans to add a climate plan to the final product.
Detroit Floods as the Pacific Northwest Bakes: It's Time to Shift the Conversation About Climate Change
The record-breaking heatwave in the Pacific Northwest has mostly been depicted in the media by kids running through fountains, but images of flooded highways and stranded vehicles in Detroit tell a more accurate story of climate change.
Boise Aims to Go Carbon-Neutral by 2050, Adopts New Climate Plan
City leaders expressed enthusiastic support for the Climate Action Roadmap, a detailed plan for reducing carbon emissions, protecting the environment, and meeting other climate goals.
Oceanside Debates the Future of its Coastline
As sea levels rise, California's coastal communities face difficult decisions about how to preserve coastlines and mitigate the looming threat.
It's Time for National Cool Communities Standards
Cities are hotter because of the way we build them, and they could be cooler if we built them differently.
Pagination
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.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority