Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficiency Infographic

Infographic: Track the Flow of Energy in the United States

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has a collection of infographics illustrating the use and waste of energy in the county and in specific states by year.

October 23, 2018 - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

California Energy Efficiency Program Could Be Much More Effective for Low-Income Residents

According to an analysis by the Energy Efficiency for All coalition, California's Energy Savings Assistance Program could be four times as effective for low-income renters if it were better deployed.

October 9, 2018 - NRDC

Biomass

U.S. Households Using Less Energy

Total on-site energy use in U.S. homes declined between 2009 and 2015, thanks to new new building technology and warmer winters.

July 14, 2018 - Housing Perspectives

New York

Op-Ed: The Real Estate Industry Is Actually Fighting Emissions

Efstathios Valiotis of Alma Realty argues that the New York real estate industry has made strides to curb emissions and been a leader in fighting climate change in the city.

April 27, 2018 - Crain's New York Business

Renewable Energy

How We Can Better Integrate the Energy Industry into Eco-Friendly Planning

There are plenty of opportunities to green the world's energy production and consumption infrastructure, but it will take good planning.

February 27, 2018 - Kayla Matthews

Google Self-Driving Car smaller

Self-Driving Cars Hog Power

Self-driving cars process a tremendous amount of data to pilot themselves through crowded streets. That computing power needs electricity, and lots of it.

February 15, 2018 - Wired

HVAC

Even Older Buildings Are More Energy Efficient Than Ever

An analysis of trends in energy-efficiency improvements reveals the success of policies enacted during the previous decades.

August 10, 2017 - Harvard Center for Joint Housing Studies

Melting Ice

Green Building Advocates Want Pennsylvania to 'Unfreeze' the State's Energy Codes

Two icehouses have arrived in Harrisburg on a mission from the Central Pennsylvania chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.

June 8, 2017 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Massachusetts

Even the Most Energy Efficient Cities Have Room for Improvement

The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has released its third biannual City Energy Efficiency Scorecard.

May 13, 2017 - Next City

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Popular Energy Star Program on The Budget Chopping Block

As details emerge from the Trump Administration's draft budget proceedings, more programs of relevance to the planning profession are queued up for the chopping block. The budget is still far from a done deal, however.

March 11, 2017 - E&E News

Green

Building Industry Falling Short of the AIA's Carbon Reduction Goals

The American Institute of Architects gave a reality check regarding its ambitious and aggressive carbon reductions targets.

October 12, 2016 - Architect

LED Lights

If LEDs Are Bad for Our Health, What Should Cities Do Now?

A report from the American Medical Association says LED lights are bad for our health, inspiring some cities to re-evaluate the technology.

September 26, 2016 - The Washington Post

An Update on President Obama's 'Better Building Initiative'

A press release and fact sheet about the accomplishments of the Obama Administration's "Better Building Initiative" includes three new national programs designed to improve the efficiency and resilience of the built environment.

May 12, 2016 - The White House

Could This Heating Technology Revolutionize the U.S. Market?

Michelle Robb, Director of Product Planning at Mitsubishi spoke to Alex Ulam about VRF, or air source heat pump technology, and how it can fit into the American built environment context.

February 17, 2016 - Doggerel

There's More Than One Way for Energy Efficiency Goals to Fail

A heated political battle over funding for the Washington State Building Code Council shows how legislated mandates for energy efficiency must also fund regulators to back them up.

January 26, 2016 - Crosscut

President Obama's Most Important Energy Efficiency Standard Unveiled

Just in time for winter, the U.S. Department of Energy released a standard to make heating and cooling in commercial buildings far more efficient, increasing minimum efficiency by 10 to 25 percent.

December 21, 2015 - The Washington Post

Beware of Energy Rankings for Cities

In a special "Energy for Tomorrow" report, The New York Times looks at "clean city rankings" of energy efficiency and land use. But ranking cities is no easy task—"winners on one list may appears as sinners on another."

December 10, 2015 - The New York Times - Energy & Environment

Too Big to Be Green

The energy costs of big houses on big lots overshadow the benefits of energy efficiency.

November 23, 2015 - CityLab

What Does the Connected Home Mean for Energy Policy?

As cities look to the Internet of Things to reimagine urban infrastructure, one hope is that real-time data collection will help increase energy efficiency at the regional level. Where do homes outfitted with a network of smart devices fit in?

October 28, 2015 - VerdeXchange News

SEPTA Investing $18.3 Million in Energy Efficiency

SEPTA has approved funding for $18.3 million in energy-efficient upgrades to the regional transit network.

October 24, 2015 - Philadelphia Inquirer

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.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.