Disasters
Protecting Affordable Housing After Natural Disasters
Research shows that low-income communities suffer most and take the longest to recover from disasters, which can often wipe out affordable housing stock and displace vulnerable households.
Five Actions to Combat COVID-19 in Hawaii
A data-driven approach is needed to figure out how the disease has spread in the islands and what can be done to contain it.
In California, Struggles Over Insurance Regulation in the Era of Climate Change
Setting insurance rates by looking to the past to predict the future doesn’t make sense with increasing environmental uncertainties, argues the California insurance industry.
2017 Set a New Precedent for Natural Disasters
Floods, hurricanes, wildfires, drought, freezes, and tornadoes—the list of disasters that struck the United States this year covers every corner of the country.
Decreased Net Spending Equals Crumbling Infrastructure
Public spending is not high enough to keep up with normal decay, much less extreme weather events. Yet politicians focus on building new infrastructure instead of saving what we have.
How Building Standards Failed London's Grenfell Tower
Fire safety experts are rushing to explain the horrific scene in London's Kensington neighborhood last night—after a fire destroyed a residential high rise. The building was recently retrofitted to meet efficiency standards.
Lawsuit Puts Climate Change Preparation Onus On Cities
A class-action lawsuit filed by Farmers Insurance Co. against the city of Chicago raises questions on municipal responsibility to prepare against 'foreseeable risk.'
Density Giveth and Taketh Away
In a prescient article for the events of this week, John Seo looks at how the global march towards increased density (in technology, land use, and financial markets) has consequences, both beneficial and catastrophic.
Tokyo to Include Tsunami-Hit Areas in 2020 Olympic Bid
In preparing a bid to host the 2020 Olympics, Tokyo is planning to include areas that were ravaged by the recent tsunami and earthquake.
Earthquakes Threaten Many Third-World Cities
Port-au-Prince is not an outlier. Many other major cities in developing and poor countries lie along earthquake fault lines and are in danger of destruction.
Group of Builders and Designers Brainstorm Haiti's Future
Every day since the earthquake that shattered Haiti earlier this month, a group of 50 planners, architects and developers have met to brainstorm and strategize the rebuilding of their country.
The Role of Design and Architecture in Saving Haiti
This episode of DnA wonders whether design and architecture will be able to help Haiti revive itself.
Watching Urban Change Via Satellite
Recent earthquake response efforts in Haiti showed how comparing satellite imagery could help to identify physical changes in the damaged country and assist rescue workers. That same sort of imagery could play a similar role for urban planners.
Worst-Case Tsunami Scenario Mapped
The event of a huge earthquake off the Aleutian Islands could send a devastating tsunami towards the West coast of the U.S. Researchers have released maps of what a worst-case scenario might look like for coastal communities.
'Disaster City' Trains Rescuers for Real-Life Catastrophes
Disasters happen. Being prepared is almost always the ideal, but rarely the reality. A disaster training facility in Texas is trying to change that.
Learning from Katrina, Three Years Later
Three years later, Hurricane Katrina has had lasting effects on New Orleans. It's also taught America some lessons about how to react to natural disasters -- and how not to.
Tornado Clears Way for LEED Platinum Building
The 5-4-7 Arts Center in Greensburg, Kansas gets a LEED platinum designation- evidence that the town, which was 95% destroyed by a tornado in May, 2006, is making good on its sustainable rebuilding plan.
Opportunities in Tornadoes
Parkersburg, IA, reeling from a recent tornado that devastated the town, could look to nearby Charles City for a silver lining.
Earthquakes, Building Codes and the Politics of Architecture
Mark Kingwell observes the sharp -- and deadly -- contrast between shining Shanghai skyscrapers and the poorly-built prefab concrete structures in China's rural areas that proved to be deathtraps in the recent earthquake.
Did Corrupt Building Practices Contribute to China's Earthquake Disaster?
As rescue work continues in the aftermath of the earthquake in China's Sichuan province, many -- including the state-run media -- are asking questions about why so many buildings collapsed, and blame corruption and shoddy construction methods.
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.
University of Southern California
City of Meridian
University of Calgary
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
Detroit Regional Partnership
San Joaquin LAFCo
City of South Portland