Wetlands

North Carolina Outer Banks Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Working With Nature, Not Against It

The concept of ‘natural capital’ calls on policymakers to consider the value of natural infrastructure, which can often improve climate resilience without expensive construction projects.

March 22, 2023 - Scientific American

View of Austin, Texas skyline at dusk with Colorado River and bridge in foreground

New Green Development Rules Take Effect in Austin

The city updated its development code to include more robust protection for local wetlands and stricter sustainable stormwater infrastructure requirements.

November 10, 2022 - Urbanize Austin

New York City

Opinion: One Solution to Manhattan's Land Shortage: Just Build It

A New York Times op-ed calls on the city to add landfill development on Manhattan's southern shoreline, claiming it would increase affordability and protect the city from rising sea levels.

January 23, 2022 - The New York Times

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

Inner Harbor, Baltimore

Baltimore Plans 'Floating Wetlands' to Revitalize Inner Harbor

The National Aquarium wants to recreate the tidal marshes that once lined the city's waterfront.

September 17, 2021 - Maryland Matters

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

Klamath River

Biden Administration Seeks More Protection for Wetlands

In a reversal from Trump-era policy, the Biden administration wants to reinstate protections that prevent the contamination of streams and waterways.

June 27, 2021 - The Washington Post

Louisiana Wetlands

New Orleans Convent to Become Large Urban Wetland

Hurricane Katrina damaged a Catholic convent in New Orleans. Then the nuns spearheaded a project to transform the land into a wetland area that will protect the city from flooding in the future.

January 22, 2020 - Changing America

Salton Sea Refuge

Wetlands Bring New Life to the Salton Sea

Southern California’s Salton Sea has long struggled with environmental issues, but wetlands have been springing up and nurturing diverse ecosystems.

January 9, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Coyote Ridge San Jose

Deal Will Preserve Valuable S.F. Bay Area Open Space

Land in the Coyote Valley in San Jose, California, will be protected in a move that ends over three decades of development battles.

November 12, 2019 - The Mercury News

Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta

California Resists Federal Efforts to Roll Back Environmental Regulations

California is pushing back against federal actions by enforcing state rules and standards that it says have precedence.

March 30, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Bay Area Wetlands

EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Propose Revision of Wetlands Definition

Fulfilling a promise he made as a candidate, the Trump administration proposed a redefinition of what is classified as a wetland, with the result being the loss of federal protection of millions of acres of waterways and wetlands.

December 14, 2018 - NPR

Natural Resources Conservation Service's Wetlands Reserve Program

Proposed State-Level Wetlands Regulations in California: Protections and Complications

The state is seeking to protect wetlands from federal regulation rollbacks, but broader protections could also mean more costly and cumbersome processes.

September 13, 2018 - Water Deeply

San Luis Obispo County

California's Coastal Marshes Face Extinction By 2110

Climate change and coastal development are combining to stamp out important ecological landscapes.

March 2, 2018 - KPCC

New Jersey

How About a 'Climate Change National Park'?

One of the nuggets included in the Regional Plan Association's Forth Plan, released in late 2017, is a proposal to create a national park out of the New Jersey Meadowlands.

February 17, 2018 - Curbed New York

Bay Area Wetlands

Bay Area Design Challenge Takes On Sea Level Rise

For the next several months, nine sites will be the focus of efforts to design for resilience as sea levels rise. Proposals involve "threading nature back into an urbanized terrain."

February 9, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Houston Texas

Challenges in Rebuilding Houston Extend Beyond Development

Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic of The New York Times, looks beyond sprawl and development issues that challenge Houston in its rebuilding efforts. An anti-urban, anti-regulation bias from the statehouse isn't helping matters.

November 15, 2017 - The New York Times

Bay Area's First Climate Adaptation Project Could Be a North Bay Highway

State Route 37 is a vital highway connecting four North Bay counties plagued by two unrelated problems: chronic flooding during high tides and traffic congestion. Fixing the problem will set a precedent for Bay Area climate adaptation.

September 26, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

Salton Sea

California's Plan to Save the Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is drying up, and California is poised to spend $383 million to keep that from happening. At stake are Colorado River water negotiations between California, Arizona, and Nevada.

March 20, 2017 - The Desert Sun

Clear-Sky Flood

Houston's Rapid Growth Will Make Future Floods Worse

Houston's development has meant the loss of many wetlands, a key factor in protecting the against floods. This, coupled with climate change, will mean more floods, causing more danger and damage to the growing city.

December 15, 2016 - ProPublica

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

HUD’s 2023 Innovative Housing Showcase

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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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.