Sewers
How Cities Are Using Wastewater to Test for COVID-19
Some scientists and city officials are moving ahead with a different way to track the virus’s spread: wastewater testing.
Lack of Septic Systems Spell Disaster for Low-Income Alabama Residents
Low-income Alabama residents who can't afford the cost of a functional septic tank run the risk of heavy fines and even arrest in addition to extremely unsafe conditions.
How Peoria Is Putting Green Infrastructure to Work
Peoria's new stormwater farm takes the pressure off its outdated combined sewer system. It's part of a larger effort by the city to align green infrastructure with social equity goals.
Thinking About Infrastructure and Housing, Part 2
Is inadequate infrastructure a reason to keep new housing out of cities?
Florida Plagued by Sewage Spills
The state’s aging sewage infrastructure is failing, but the cost to replace it would be monumental.
Can New Leadership Deliver New Stormwater and Sewer Systems in New Orleans?
The new head of the Sewage & Water Board of New Orleans comes to the job from Milwaukee, and he already has big ideas about what the city must do to prevent flooding like it experienced last summer.
Kentucky Needs $15 Billion in Additional Water Infrastructure
The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet has sounded an alarm about the state of the state's water infrastructure.
Sanitation Without Sewers
In much of the world, people do not have access to toilets and sewers. To make these places safer, innovators look for cheap, easy-to-install solutions.
Behind Some of History's Most Powerful Urban Innovations
A series of pieces from Sidewalk Labs examines the history and context of vital urban "innovations." So far, elevators, sewers, and traffic signals have been covered.
Using Public Art to Make Sense of Wastewater Infrastructure
The city of San Jose and designers from the University of California, Davis have completed a community-led design process to raise awareness about the connections between the kitchen, sewers, and the environment.
Atlanta Installs Permeable Pavement in Flood-Prone Neighborhoods
These Atlanta neighborhoods stand to gain in the long term from the city's new permeable pavement system and water retention park. But the project has displaced some residents.
Residents Raise a Stink Over Plans to Fix London's Sewers
London's wastewater problems go at least as far back as the 19th century, before a 1,100-mile system of tunnels was built to divert the city's waste downstream. A plan to fix that system with a tunnel financed by customer fees is raising a stink.
Beneath Paris, Sights to Rival Those Found Above
Will Hunt explores Paris beneath the surface during a 14-mile trek underground with a group of urban explorers, and finds subterranean sights to rival those found on the famous streets above.
A Worrying Future for Urban Water
Climate change is expected to create major shifts in the amount of water and rainfall in cities in the near future. A recent symposium in Philadelphia on urban water delved into this emerging problem.
Linking Infrastructure and Environmental Concerns
In a part of Staten Island largely developed before formal sewer systems were in place, the effort to address both logistics and environmental issues offers lessons for other urban areas.
Inside an Urban Water System
Urban water systems are immense -- and little-understood. Places presents this video from the Center for Urban Pedagogy looking down below the streets to illuminate the mystery city water delivery.
Aging Sewers and Growing Cities Mean Troubled Waters
As cities grow, aging sewer systems are having trouble keeping up with increasing amounts of waste. Often, the result is sewer system overflows that end up directly in waterways.
Expensive Sewer Drives County to Bankruptcy
In 1993, Jefferson County, Alabama issued $3 billion in bonds to pay for a sewer system that would serve 150,000 people. Today, their financial situation is so bad they've stopped paying creditors and are close to declaring bankruptcy.
Sewer Robot Frees Up Streets
The Urban Mole is a proposed package delivery robot that uses existing sewer tunnels to deliver packages underground, taking delivery trucks off of the streets.
Sprawl and Sewers
Sewage issues in Ottawa are bringing attention to the significant infrastructure problems associated with sprawl.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
