Climate Change

Message to Candidates: Don't Forget Car Dependence When Tackling Fossil Fuels
Car dependence will have to end for the most ambitious climate plans put forward by Democratic candidates for president to have the desired effect.

The Earth's Vegetation Stopped Expanding 20 Years Ago
Until the late 1990s, the amount of vegetation worldwide was increasing. But then it stopped, and a new study links this troubling trend to climate change.

Cities at the Forefront of Climate Change Policy
As cities around the world face the effects of climate change head on, they have been pushing policy forward and taking action at the local level. But they are also creating networks that have a much broader impact beyond individual cities.

Three Ways Cities Can Combat Extreme Heat
As temperatures rise, there are some relatively simple changes cities can implement to cut cooling costs and deal with spells of extreme heat.

Train Travel Gains Popularity as 'Flight Shame' Trends in Europe
A greener life means fewer flights for many Europeans.

Toxic Algae Blooms, Explained
Toxic algae is in the news again, so it's a good time to learn as much as possible about the environmental threat that is likely to be a reoccurring theme in the era of climate change.

The Climate Has Already Changed
A big feature explores the effects of climate change, which are already very much changing life in the United States.

Land Use the Subject of Latest IPCC Report
Not urban land use, but in the literal sense: land used to produce food, graze livestock, supply drinking water, grow trees, and sequester carbon. As the climate warms and the population grows, crop yields will decrease and land will be degraded.

A Dire Warning About Sea-Level Rise in South Florida
A shift is underway on Wall Street—investors are acknowledging the risks of climate change. A recent credit-ratings report on the bridge system connecting Miami to Key Biscayne provides a stark example of the new way of thinking.

Climate Change and Public Transit
A recent round of thunderstorms brought public transit operations in Philadelphia to a screeching halt.

Conflicting Interests and a Broken Planning System
A scathing critique of city planning, and the special interests that hold the system in thrall, in New York City.

Coastal States Are Building in Flood Zones Faster Than Anywhere Else
Here's a trillion dollar real estate market on the coasts of the United States—and it's building itself into rising levels of risk.

Reno Action Plan Calls for Emissions Reductions and Climate Resilience
The Reno City Council this week approved a new, 165-page "Sustainability and Climate Action Plan."

German Greens Want Domestic Air Travel to Be Obsolete by 2035
Alliance 90/The Greens, a political party in Germany, wants the country's domestic travel to shift completely to rail. Achieving that goal will require making air travel more expensive and rail travel cheaper and easier.

How the Green New Deal Could Transform the Built Environment
If it emulated and adapted the scope of its predecessor, the Green New Deal could transform the country in fundamental ways, with builders, planners, and architects playing central roles.

U.K. Solar Trains to Embark in August
South Western Railway will be using its own solar panels to directly supply power to trains and partially eliminate its need for outside power.

California Faces Costly Measures in Preparing for Future Wildfires
In California, recovery after wildfires means many upfront investments by communities and the state.

Satirizing Mayors Who Campaign for President During a Flood
The Onion took some shots at presidential hopeful and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio after summer rain showers flooded streets and sent water cascading into the city's subway system.

California City Bans the Words 'Managed Retreat' While Wrestling With Sea-Level Rise
Politicians in California are trying to plan for a rising sea, but some have stopped using the phrase “managed retreat” because they feel it derails the process.
A Climate Change Preview Underway in Michigan
Water is encroaching on neighborhoods and shorelines in Detroit at rare levels. Those impacts and many more are considered only a preview of what's to come when the worst effects of climate change strike the Great Lakes region.
Pagination
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
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions