Drought
Arizona Governor Takes Steps to Modernize Water Policy
A newly released report warns of rapidly dwindling groundwater resources as developers plan to build hundreds of thousands of new homes.
Survey: Mayors Concerned About Direct Impacts of Climate Change
Almost all U.S. mayors have some level of concern about climate change in their communities, but local leaders face some challenges in taking action.
Scottsdale Cuts Water Supply to Nearby Suburb
The city claims it has no responsibility to provide water to the unincorporated Maricopa County community.
California’s Reservoirs are Filling Up, but For How Long?
Recent storms are bringing plenty of water to parched parts of California, but scientists warn the relief won’t be a long-term solution to longer, drier periods.
Arizona Tapping Groundwater to Fuel Suburban Growth
Critics say Arizona’s growth patterns are unsustainable and dangerous, given the depleted Colorado River and the state’s deepening reliance on groundwater.
The Year in Public Lands
Public policy decisions that will impact land and water conservation in the American West.
Southern California Water District Declares Drought Emergency
State water officials say the region’s agencies will only receive 5 percent of their requested supplies for the start of 2023 due to intense drought conditions that continue to sap western water supplies.
Superfund Project to Deliver Massive Water Supply Boon to Los Angeles
The semi-arid region of Los Angeles is often mistaken for a desert, but the local water supply is also constrained by the environmental sins of the 20th century. The water supply equation of Los Angeles will soon change, however.
Controversial Agreement Yields Funding for Salton Sea Restoration
An unprecedented, but deeply controversial, agreement changes the equation for the Colorado River and the Salton Sea.
Arizona’s Growth Threatens Water Supplies
New communities are popping up across Arizona’s desert, evading water consumption restrictions and straining the state’s groundwater supplies.
Colorado River Compact Needs 21st Century Update
While the historic agreement set a new precedent for water rights, its inherent flaws, growing demand, and the threat of climate change make much of it obsolete for today’s needs.
Proposed Legislation Sounds Alarm on Mississippi River Drought
Without concerted restoration efforts, the river’s historically low levels could dramatically impact shipping activities and economic development throughout the region.
Drought Threatens Mississippi River Shipping Corridor
Disruption of shipping on the Mississippi could imperil food supplies and cost billions in losses.
Ramping Up Recycled Wastewater
States like Colorado and water suppliers in parts of Southern California are expanding the use of recycled wastewater to protect dwindling drinking water supplies.
Federal Program Provides Direct Payments for Colorado River Water Conservation
A water buyback program will pay farmers who reduce their water use in an effort to sustain the West’s reservoirs, which are at historically low levels.
Colorado River Water Crisis Deepens
The states that rely on the Colorado’s water must make drastic cuts in water usage to maintain use of the West’s most important—and most threatened—water source.
The Declining Appeal of Lawns
Long held as a symbol of middle-class success and the American Dream, homogenous, monocultural lawns are quickly falling out of favor as people opt for more ecologically friendly gardens that conserve water and increase biodiversity.
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.
Aurora Restricts ‘Cool Weather Turf’ For New Development
Drought is reshaping western U.S. landscapes. Las Vegas banned ornamental grass in 2021. Aurora is now the first municipality in Colorado to curb the use of some grasses in new developments.
California Governor Outlines Plan for a ‘Hotter, Drier Future’
With California’s water supply expected to drop by 10 percent in the next two decades, Governor Newsom’s strategy calls for conservation and increased investment in water collection, storage, and desalination infrastructure.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
