Energy

Promising New Technology for Tidal Power

Testing is underway in the U.K. on 'Anaconda', a giant rubber 'snake' that converts tidal wave energy to electricity. A full-sized Anaconda could reportedly power 1,000 homes.

May 8, 2009 - New Scientist

Vancouver's Sustainable Olympic Village

With goals of LEED-certification and plans for reuse after the games, Vancouver's Olympic Village is being called a model for event-based sustainability.

May 8, 2009 - Architectural Record

Farming Wind in Oregon

This segment form Oregon Public Broadcasting looks at the rise of wind farms in rural Oregon.

May 5, 2009 - Oregon Public Broadcasting

Nature Guiding Green Building

Builders, architects and designers are increasingly looking to nature for guidance as they try to build greener and more sustainably.

May 4, 2009 - The Oregonian

Architecture That Moves

Oobject has collected videos of twelve building facades that move, either purely for effect or for ventilation.

May 2, 2009 - oobject

Return to Futurama

At the 1939 World's Fair, one of the most popular exhibits was the Futurama, sponsored by GM and portraying a dazzling society of skyscrapers and freeways. Today, a group of architects, engineers and planners are creating a new Futurama.

May 2, 2009 - Lincoln Blog

Making Clean Energy Reliable

Clean energy is a major component of the Obama Administration's plans for an upgraded electricity grid. But with variable outputs, clean energy generation from solar and wind will need to be augmented, according to this piece from NPR.

May 1, 2009 - NPR

Building the Smart Grid Smartly

In the sixth of a ten-part series, National Public Radio investigates the sustainability of smart grid technology in the places where its likely to be applied.

May 1, 2009 - National Public Radio

Battle Brews Over "Significant" Hotel's Fate

Now that Los Angeles' Century Plaza Hotel has been listed as one of the nation's most endangered historic places, preservationists argue the irony behind developers' plans to demolish the building to "green" the area.

April 30, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Contemplating a Neighborhood Design Standard

The effects of the U.S. Green Building Council's new LEED-ND certification for neighborhoods leaves plenty of questions to be answered regarding its effects (intended or not) on land use, sprawl, and property values.

April 29, 2009 - REJournals.com

From Grimy to Green

Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has unveiled plans to turn an industrial parcel of land near downtown into "the global capital of clean technology."

April 29, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

3 Out Of 10 'Best Cities in the World' Are Swiss

The 2009 Mercer Quality of Living Survey is dominated by Swiss, German and Austrian cities, while Vancouver hangs on to fourth place, the only city in the Americas to crack the top 10.

April 28, 2009 - Citymayors.com

CA's Low Carbon Fuel Standard Regulation Is Approved

CA's Air Resources Board approved another 'first' - a low carbon fuel standard that will play a key role in meeting the state's aggressive climate action plan by reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuels. Winners and losers are created.

April 28, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

Creating a 'Smart' Grid Will Be a Challenge

Creating a "smart" grid to better handle the nation's electricity sounds like a great idea, but the job's going to be a tough -- and expensive.

April 28, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Dreaming the Green Home of Tomorrow

The Wall Street Journal asked four architects (including William MacDonough and Steve Mouzon) to design an energy-efficient, sustainable house of the future. The results are in, and couldn't be more different.

April 27, 2009 - The Wall St. Journal

Plans for Retrofitting, Audits Announced for NYC

In a step toward accomplishing PlaNYC's goal of reducing the city's carbon emissions by 30% in the next twenty years, Mayor Bloomberg has announced that larger buildings will be retrofitted to be more energy efficient.

April 24, 2009 - The Architect's Newspaper

Smart Grids to Get More Funding

The Energy Department has announced that it will be increasing grant limits to implement smart grid technology. The current $20 million per grant, officials say, just isn't enough to get the technology used at a commercial scale.

April 24, 2009 - The Washington Post

Fed Money Announced for CA's National Parks

Twenty-two national parks in California will get a portion of $97 million to repair historic buildings, install solar panels, and fix trails.

April 24, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

Vatican Reveals Solar Plant Plans

Vatican City has plans to build the largest solar plant in Europe, which will supply enough power for 40,000 households in a state of 900 inhabitants.

April 23, 2009 - Bloomberg

Berkeley Mayor Goes Car-Free

In order to reduce his carbon footprint, Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates is providing an excellent example for all municipal leaders by giving up his car.

April 23, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.