Public Health
Toxic algae is in the news again, so it's a good time to learn as much as possible about the environmental threat that is likely to be a reoccurring theme in the era of climate change.
Los Angeles Times
Most of the reasons street trees are sometimes unpopular with residents are either untrue or can be mitigated.
PlanPhilly
Philadelphia isn't the first city to deal with a Hepatitis A outbreak after wavering on the question of whether to deploy public bathrooms and hygiene stations
PlanPhilly
On Tuesday night, the City Council of Berkeley, Calif., unanimously voted to ban natural gas infrastructure from new buildings starting next year, the first city in the U.S. to pass such an ordinance. Fifty cities in the state could be next.
San Francisco Chronicle
President Trump made good on his promise last October to lift the E15 ban in time for the summer driving season. Not mentioned by the Des Moines Register are the downsides to allowing the higher ethanol blend to be sold during the summer, e.g., smog.
Los Angeles Times
Thanks to legislation by Sen. Scott Wiener passed last year, San Francisco will apply a new tool to force treatment on some homeless, mentally ill people who refuse it, but it's limited to five people annually. A new Wiener bill would expand it.
The Washington Post
A new zoning code in Baltimore will reduce the number of liquor stores in the city in hopes of reducing the violent crime rate. Will there be unintended consequences?
Shelterforce Magazine
Re-evaluating the role of planning in creating, and reversing, disturbing public health outcomes, like asthma rates among African-Americans in Philadelphia.
Next City
Road safety advocates, particularly those who promote walking and biking, have long understood the importance of language, such as using "crash" rather than "accident." Two new media studies shed more light on bias in media coverage of crashes.
Outside Online
Richard Florida cites new research to argue that car culture and car oriented communities are the main culprits in the unhealthy lifestyles of U.S. school children.
CityLab
A highly anticipated analysis of public health outcomes caused by the proliferation of electric scooters has been released. Most of the reported are considered preventable.
CityLab
Noise pollution tends to impact low-income communities more than others. For those who can afford the luxury, there are ways to shut out the noise.
The Guardian
June Williamson explains the necessary components of the next generation of the suburban retrofitting project, and why these actions are so necessary.
Redesigning Cities via YouTube
A new study confirms the facts of environment justice that has long been common knowledge in affected communities. Now the evidence can be mapped, as well.
Union Of Concerned Scientists
Moving to a school with higher levels of traffic pollution could impact students' academic performance, according to new research.
CityLab
Pennsylvania-based prosecutors and the Department of Justice in Washington are mounting a legal challenge to a proposed supervised injection site in the works in Philadelphia.
WHYY
The status quo is unhealthy for everybody.
The New York Times
A network of monitoring devices will bring together technology and data analytics to help inform residents about air pollution.
Quartz
Sen. Scott Wiener introduced legislation to make state highways that run through villages, town, and cities, often acting as main streets, accommodate the safety needs of walkers, cyclists, and transit users when undergoing capital improvements.
Streetsblog California
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a critical change in the cost-benefit analysis used in the mercury rule that applies to coal-fired power plants. By eliminating the principle of co-benefits, public health impacts would be severe.
The Washington Post
