Global Warming

San Francisco, California

Climate Change Concerns Rising Among Americans

More Americans than ever agree climate change is happening—but fewer agree on what to do about it.

January 30, 2024 - NBC News

Pioneer Square, Seattle

Cool Planning for a Hotter Future

Global warming increases the importance of designing buildings and communities that are comfortable, efficient, and safe in hot conditions.

August 31, 2022 - Todd Litman

Washington D.C. Protest

How Cities Can Curb Climate Change and Protect Vulnerable Residents

A new U.N. report urges cities to upgrade their infrastructure to bolster climate resilience and build more sustainable, climate-friendly places.

March 3, 2022 - Wired

Freeway Interchange Construction

Infrastructure Funding Could Lead to Higher Carbon Emissions

Billions in federal infrastructure funding slated to go to states with few strings attached could fund roadway construction and widening projects that will raise greenhouse gas emissions and worsen climate change.

February 13, 2022 - The New York Times

Beautiful Pink Flowers along the East River at Hunters Point South Park during Spring in Long Island City Queens

The Built Environment in 2022: Challenges and Opportunities

As climate change, the pandemic, and a historic housing crisis continue to impact the nation, experts weigh in on the issues that could shape the future of the built environment in 2022.

January 13, 2022 - Brookings

 The remains of a mobile home park in Sylmar, California. 480 of the park's 600 mobile homes were burned in the Sayre Fire in November 2008.

U.S. Communities Increasingly at Risk of Extreme Weather Events

As development pushes into more wildfire-prone areas and climate change makes extreme weather conditions more common, more Americans are experiencing the destructive impacts of climate disasters.

January 9, 2022 - The Washington Post

D.C. Metro

Study: D.C. Region Must Take Aggressive Steps To Reach Climate Goal

To achieve its stated emissions reduction goal, the Greater Washington area must sharply reduce driving and speed up the adoption of electric vehicles.

December 21, 2021 - Greater Greater Washington

Natural Resources Conservation Service's Wetlands Reserve Program

Bay Area Developments at Risk From Sea Level Rise

A controversial proposed housing development in Newark exemplifies the struggle between increasing housing supply and protecting vulnerable shoreline communities from flooding.

December 17, 2021 - KQED

A giant puppet of a sea goddess made entirely of recycled materials walked through Glasgow during the COP26 climate change summit.

Key Lessons From COP26

Observers express cautious optimism as countries come together on climate goals, but developing nations say they need more support to mitigate the impacts of climate change already in progress.

November 22, 2021 - Yahoo News

Paradise, California

Study: Climate Change Overwhelmingly Responsible for 'Fire Weather'

New research points to global warming as the biggest factor in fueling longer, more destructive wildfire seasons.

November 7, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Climate Change

Visualizing the Effects of Sea Level Rise on U.S. Cities

A report from Climate Central calls for urgent action, illustrating the potential devastating impact of even a small rise in global temperature on the coastline of major cities.

October 19, 2021 - Yahoo News

Dry Lake in Arizona

Report: Southwest Drought a 'Preview of Coming Attractions'

A NOAA-led task force warns that the drought facing the western U.S. will continue well into 2022 or later without serious efforts to mitigate human-caused global warming.

October 18, 2021 - Climate.gov

Toronto Sidewalk

Student-Designed Cool Sidewalk Could Reduce 'Urban Heat Island' Effect

Researchers at the University of New Mexico created a sidewalk design using materials that would reduce heat absorption and require fewer materials than traditional concrete sidewalks.

September 28, 2021 - University of New Mexico

Smokestack with billowing smoke

Largest Carbon Capture Plant in the World Opens in Iceland

The plant draws carbon from the atmosphere and turns it to stone in underground wells, but the technology remains relatively expensive.

September 22, 2021 - Quartz

Climate Change Protest

Searching for Clearer Climate Change Messaging

Although clear climate communication is more important than ever, many people find even basic terminology about climate change confusing, research shows.

September 19, 2021 - NPR

Natural Resources Conservation Service's Wetlands Reserve Program

How to Fight Climate Change and Increase Resiliency, Naturally

Five actions governments could take quickly to reduce emissions and restore ecosystems.

August 16, 2021 - NRDC

Climate Change Protest

The Climate One-Two Punch

Like a boxer, cities are wielding their one-two punch in the fight against climate change. One punch aims to protect people from the oppressive heat, while the second punch strikes at the source of global warming by reducing overall GHG emissions.

August 2, 2021 - Robert Fischer

Wind farm and greenhouse gas farm, together

Can Emissions Reductions Last Beyond the Pandemic?

The dramatic reductions in carbon emissions during the last year only highlight how drastically humans must change behavior to meet climate goals.

March 10, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Factory Emissions

Carbon Emissions Down, but Not Drastically

Transportation activity is down considerably, but other sources of carbon dioxide are still going strong.

May 12, 2020 - Grist

North Carolina Coast

Southern States Lagging in Addressing Climate Change

Cities in the South are facing a multitude of climate change impacts, but many have been slow to respond to the growing threats.

February 6, 2020 - The State

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.

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.