Energy

The Solar Co-op

In Brighton, Colorado, solar panels on one person's farm could be built by an investment from another local, creating the first solar co-operative in the U.S.

September 10, 2009 - The Wall St. Journal

More Renewable Energy = More Acreage

As the push for renewable energy increases, The Nature Conservancy points out that renewables need a lot of land to work and could cause "energy sprawl."

September 9, 2009 - Renewable Energy World

U.S. Oil Consumption On The Decline...Permanently

For political, technological, and even demographic as well as economic reasons, don't expect American oil consumption to increase over 2007 levels. $3 gas is here to stay, and the days of the petrol-gulping SUVs and guzzlers may be numbered.

September 8, 2009 - Barrons

TRB Report Evaluates Densification & VMT Reduction

A new Transportation Research Board study examines the relationship between land use and carbon emissions - specifically reduction of vehicle miles traveled resulting from densification and the shape of new growth to come.

September 8, 2009 - Streetsblog

Is the Local Food Movement Misguided?

Eating local is in vogue, as the environmental impacts of industrialized agriculture surface. But is eating local really the right response? One author says maybe not.

September 6, 2009 - Forbes

Kansas' 'Green Impact Zone'

Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs Adolfo Carrion, Jr. visited Kansas City on Tuesday to visit the site of the city's new "Green Impact Zone". The inner-city Zone will be a laboratory for energy-saving techniques.

September 3, 2009 - Kansas City Star

A 'Feasible' Engineering Solution to Global Warming

A new study from the UK Royal Society has determined that geo-engineering techniques are technically feasible approaches to address high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the resulting global warming.

September 2, 2009 - BBC

Buildings That Are Green But Not Energy-Efficient

LEED-certified buildings may be constructed with little energy, but some are just as energy-intensive as non "green" buildings once they're in use. This disconnect is prompting the U.S. Green Building Council to change its rules.

September 1, 2009 - The New York Times

When Going Green Is Less Important Than Saving Green

A new HVAC system for a building in Minnesota that was expected to meet high environmental standards was going to come in at almost three times its originally estimated costs. So city officials are delaying.

August 29, 2009 - Minneapolis-St.Paul Star Tribune

Europe's Plan to Turn Sahara into Solar Power Source

Significant interest and investment has descended on a plan to create vast solar power plants in the Sahara Desert to power Europe, but the challenges are great, says Reuters.

August 28, 2009 - The New Republic

Op-ed in NYT Claims Peak Oil is Bad Science

Energy consultant Michael Lynch argues that there are upwards of 10 trillion barrels of oil out there, as opposed to the 2 trillion that peak oil proponents recognize.

August 26, 2009 - New York Times

Renewable Energy Goes Small and Wide

Small scale hydroelectricity projects are popping up all over the country, especially in remote and environmentally sensitive places.

August 26, 2009 - The Wall Street Journal

As Auto Industry Stumbles, Renewables Boom in the Midwest

The ailing auto industry has many manufacturers in the Midwest transitioning to the renewable energy market, opening factories to build wind turbine parts and solar panels.

August 26, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

California's Debate Over What Constitutes Renewable Energy

The goal is to increase California's use of clean, renewable sources of electricity so as to meet the state's climate protection goal. Two bills are being debated that will require that 33% of electricity sources be composed of renewables by 2020.

August 25, 2009 - The Sacramento Bee

New EcoVillages: Not Just For Hippies

The Whole Village in Ontario, Canada is an environmentally sustainable co-op made up of architects, doctors and teachers instead of draft dodgers and dropouts.

August 25, 2009 - The Montreal Gazette

Clunkers Program To End August 24

It didn't last long: one month to be precise. The American public ate through the $3 billion stimulus program for purchasing new, efficient cars and trucks as fast as they could qualify their older gas guzzlers for the $3,500 and $4,500 credits.

August 22, 2009 - AP via ABC News

Creating 'Eco-Districts'

Green buildings are great, but don't do too much if they're located in grossly un-green places. The city of Portland is trying to address the issue by creating "eco-districts".

August 21, 2009 - Governing

Solar Bus Shelters Debut

San Francisco has begun installing 1,200 new bus shelters that incorporate a solar array on the roof to power an LED display showing bus arrival times.

August 18, 2009 - The Architect's Newspaper

First Small-Scale Urban Wind Turbines Rising

Developers in Portland has begun installation of a set of wind turbines atop a new tower in downtown Portland.

August 17, 2009 - Portland Business Journal

The Problem With Coal

In his new book, Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America’s Energy Future, author Jeff Goodell uncovers the damage the coal industry has done to America's landscape.

August 17, 2009 - Great Lakes Bulletin News Service

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.