Shale Gas

Oil Rigs

Just What the Planet Needs: More Oil Production

A surge of oil from four countries—Norway, Guyana, Canada and Brazil—will more than compensate for slowing growth of U.S. oil production. The new sources might cause oil prices to dip to $50 a barrel and slow the transition to electric vehicles.

November 6, 2019 - The New York Times

Fracking

Petrochemical Industry to Drive Major Growth in Oil Demand

A new report from the International Energy Association projects that petrochemicals will be the largest driver of oil consumption, greatly increasing greenhouse gas emissions and offsetting the effect of electric vehicles on oil demand.

October 7, 2018 - Reuters

Coal Mine

Coal's Future Still Unclear, Despite Trump's Campaigns Promises

It's only taken a week for the coal industry to get swept under the rug, to an extent, by Republican leadership in Washington, D.C.—not to mention their energy market competitors.

November 14, 2016 - CleanTechnica

Oil Drills

All Jokes Aside: Do Oil Companies Avoid Wealthy Areas?

Environmental justice alarms sounded when an oil industry executive made public remarks about how drilling sites get selected.

April 19, 2016 - Pittsburg Post-Gazette

Explained: America's Complex System of Oil Transportation

A new analysis by Joseph Kane, Robert Puentes, and Adie Tomer examines America's current infrastructure of transporting oil throughout the country.

December 5, 2014 - Brookings Institution

Study: Residents Living Near Fracking Suffer Negative Health Impacts

Self-reported respiratory problems and skin irritations were significantly greater for those living near natural gas fracking wells in southwestern Pennsylvania than those living more than two kilometers away, according to a Yale University survey.

September 11, 2014 - USA Today

What's Driving the Economic Turnaround in Youngstown and Canton, Ohio?

Youngstown had been one of those Rust Belt, "shrinking" cities long noted in Planetizen, but thanks in part to fracking and its location on the Utica shale formation, manufacturing has returned and unemployment has dropped by half since 2010.

September 9, 2014 - The New York Times - Business Day

China Bans the Use of Coal Around Cities

In this Sunday Review editorial, The New York Times applauds China's announcement that it will ban coal burning in the Beijing region by 2020, but warns that some solutions to air pollution will exacerbate climate change.

August 26, 2014 - The New York Times

Do the Facts Support Fracking Opposition?

Susan Brantley of Penn State University and Anna Meyendorff of University of Michigan pen this op-ed to assess the pros and cons of fracking for natural gas. How does fracking compare to obtaining energy from other sources? Do the facts warrant bans?

March 16, 2013 - The New York Times - The Opinion Pages

Energy Boom or Bubble? Conflicting Reports

Two reports claim wildly opposite views on where the current shale gas boom is headed. David Hughes, a Canadian geologist and fellow of the Post Carbon Institute disputes projections of energy independence. A Univ. of Texas study confirms the boom.

March 2, 2013 - The Tyee

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.