Wastewater

The Revolution Transforming America's Strained Water Systems

In the first in a series of articles exploring 'infrastructure solutions for the next generation', Cynthia Barnett examines the creative ways that communities are solving the problems caused by old and overtaxed water systems.

July 14, 2013 - Orion Magazine

Who Will Pay for America's $2.2 Trillion Infrastructure Backlog?

With the federal government unable to agree on much of anything, state and local taxpayers are bearing the burden for repairing and replacing America's aging infrastructure says a new report from Standard & Poor’s Rating Services.

October 29, 2012 - The Washington Post

NYC to Pilot New System for Monitoring Sewage Discharge

New York City is taking steps to manage the dumping of raw sewage, Mireya Navarro reports.

February 23, 2012 - New York Times - Green Blog

Solving the Wastewater Problem with Natural Solutions

The EPA estimates the U.S. has $13 billion in wastewater infrastructure. Fast Company explains how innovations in wastewater management using natural processes will change everything.

December 6, 2011 - Fast Company

Bringing New Value to Wastewater

Much of the inefficiency surrounding our use and misuse of water derive from entrenched habits formed during previous eras of presumed inexhaustibility of water supplies.  Our wastewater treatment approach has traditionally relied on an infrastructure of centralized municipal water plants where tertiary effluent is recycled.  These plants consume considerable energy and cost to restore all of the water they process.  

August 26, 2011 - Rick Abelson

Getting Off the Water Grid in Seattle

Buildings in Seattle, including a school, are trying to remove themselves from the urban water grid. More could soon follow.

April 28, 2011 - The Seattle Times

Reframing the Human Relationship with Water

Urban runoff and contaminated water are creating major ecological damage, even in the United States. One design competition has the goal of rethinking how we handle this crucial resource.

September 14, 2010 - Metropolis

Seeking Solutions to Stormwater and Sewage Issues

In many cities, stormwater and sewage water are collected in the same sewer. As a result, good rainwater is combined with dirty sewage water. Overflows can create major problems for cities. But avoiding those problems is not exactly easy.

April 17, 2010 - Urban Omnibus

Getting Smart About Sewage

This post from IBM's A Smarter Planet blog looks at how advanced monitoring techniques and analytics are helping to improve the management of sewage and wastewater in cities like Sacramento and Dubuque.

February 11, 2010 - A Smarter Planet

Best Practices for Water Management

This piece from Urban Re:Vision Magazine looks at a variety of water reuse and stormwater capture projects in cities across the U.S.

February 11, 2010 - Urban Re:Vision

Toilet to Tap to Farm

Farmers in the Monterey Bay area of California have been feeding their artichoke plants with recycled urban wastewater. And they've been doing it safely for years.

August 27, 2009 - Miller-McCune

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.