Extreme Weather

Earthquake damage

Planning for Structural Safety in an Era of Environmental Risks

Resilience to the impacts of climate change and other forms of natural disaster will require new levels of safety in the built environment.

May 23, 2018 - Kayla Matthews

Drought

Mapping the Effects of Human Intervention on the Global Water Supply

Climate change is only part of the story, but humans have left a detectable footprint on the distribution of the global water supply.

May 21, 2018 - Grist

Miami

Senate Bill Would Fund Climate Change Resilience in Coastal Communities

Grant and loan funding, new research, and a competition are some of the ideas included in the Coastal Communities Adaptation Act.

May 17, 2018 - U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation

San Francisco Bay

Climate Change Already Obvious in California

We've all seen the maps that show the water rising around the edges of costal and waterfront communities as sea-level rise and climate change take effect. A new report shows the effects that have already changed the state of California.

May 12, 2018 - Sacramento Bee

Coastal Flooding

Study: Climate Change Concerns Taking a Toll on Home Values in Miami

Ordinary homeowners are beginning to factor climate change into the home-buying decisions in Miami.

April 23, 2018 - The Wall Street Journal

Volunteers

When Coastal States Kill Building Codes, FEMA Pays

Despite the increasing number and intensity of natural disasters, some vulnerable states are relaxing building regulations and leaving the federal government to pick up the tab when tragedy strikes again.

April 5, 2018 - Bloomberg

Parking Lot SOlar

As Climate Shifts, Cincinnati Mayor Boosts Solar Investments

The Ohio city recently announced a plan to build the nation's largest municipally owned onsite solar array. The plan builds on a decade of increasingly ambitious climate action.

March 27, 2018 - Yale Climate Connections

Puerto Rico

Study: Hurricane Maria Killed for Months After Hitting Puerto Rico

According to new research, the tragic impact of Hurricane Maria lingered for months after the storm hit Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, and at far greater magnitude than the federal government has acknowledged.

March 5, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

Bighorn Sheep

The 'Wide-Ranging Ecological Downside' of Road Salt

A study from the USGS using five decades of data shows salinity and alkalinity are up in waterways across the United States.

January 17, 2018 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Calls for a Sea Wall in Boston After Freezing Water Floods the Streets

After streets in Boston flooded last week, leaving cars frozen in the floodwaters, local leaders are renewing a call for a $10 billion sea wall.

January 10, 2018 - Boston Herald

Winter Transit

The East Coast's 'Bomb Cyclone' and Climate Change

When President Trump tweeted that the East Coast needed global warming due to the freezing cold, experts responded by explaining the difference between weather and climate. But climate change may indeed be a cause of the bomb cyclone.

January 8, 2018 - The New York Times - Climate

Snowplow

How Cities Plan for Cold Winter Days

Planning for snow, and for cold days, is a professional practice unto itself.

December 31, 2017 - Smart Cities Dive

Satellite Image

It's Now Safe to Link Hurricane Precipitation and Climate Change

A new study from MIT makes a clear connection between the intensity of rainfall caused by Hurricane Harvey last August in Texas and climate change, concluding that the likelihood of stronger downpours is greatly increasing.

November 17, 2017 - The Washington Post

Washington D.C. - The White House

Trump Administration Releases Climate Report that Contradicts EPA Chief

In a move that surprised some, the Fourth National Climate Assessment found that climate change is "unambiguous" as opposed to a "hoax," as President Trump has stated, and that it is man-made, largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

November 6, 2017 - The New York Times

Carribean

Climate Negligence in Florida?

In advance of Hurricane Irma's landfall in Florida, Governor Rick Scott worked non-stop urging residents to leave mandatory evacuation zones. But what has he done to prepare since he took office in 2011?

September 12, 2017 - The Washington Post - Health & Science

Houston Flood

Houston Flooding: Climate Change or Development Patterns to Blame?

The Guardian's former environmental editor asks if urban sprawl is as much to blame as climate change for the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston.

September 9, 2017 - Guardian

Scott Pruitt

EPA's Scott Pruitt Dismisses Global Warming Connection to Houston Flooding

While any one event can not be attributed to global warming, climate scientists have long acknowledged a connection to extreme weather. Pruitt, a climate denier, dismisses any such connection with the amount of rainfall from Hurricane Harvey.

September 5, 2017 - Talking Points Memo

Wildfire

Climate Change Impacts at the County Level

A recent study lends new specificity of the human cost and economic damage wreaked by climate change in the coming decades.

August 26, 2017 - Governing

Raising the Alarms as Hurricane Harvey Heads for Houston and the Gulf Coast

Hurricane Harvey was expected to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday. If the damage in human and economic terms is terrible, a lack of infrastructure maintenance and development responsibility will be to blame.

August 26, 2017 - CityLab

Airport

It's Too Hot to Fly in Phoenix Today

A record heatwave and the likelihood for more extreme weather raises alarm in Arizona.

June 20, 2017 - The Arizona Republic

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.

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.