Energy

Still Time to Fix Stimulus Bill, Says CNU

John Norquist presents CNUs recommendations for improving the American Recovery and Reinvestment Economic Recovery Bill, including more funding for transit and smarter road building.

January 20, 2009 - Congress for the New Urbanism

Miami's Bicycle Awakening

Miami and Miami-Dade County are working together to implement a robust network of bicycle infrastructure that in tandem with ongoing events like Bike Miami Days and County led Ciclovia events,will help residents and visitors get out of their cars.

January 20, 2009 - Miami Herald

Cape Cod Wind Farm Closer to Reality

The Department of the Interior has decided that a proposed wind farm to be built in the waters off Cape Cod poses 'no serious environmental threat.' Homeowners and boaters on the Cape, including Ted Kennedy, continue to fight it.

January 19, 2009 - The New York Times

Alternative Energy Businesses Growing

Even as businesses across the spectrum are failing, the small alternative energy companies are seeing increased investment and a growing market.

January 18, 2009 - The Wall St. Journal

Building (and Living) Off the Grid

When Borton and Welsh found 90 acres bordering a national forest near Whitehall, Montana, they parked a trailer, dug in, and began building Sage Mountain Center, a combination of cordwood and straw bale, powered off-grid by the sun and wind.

January 18, 2009 - Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built & Natural Environments

How Oil Shapes the Landscape

An exhibition in Houston organized by the Center for Land Use Interpretation looks at how the oil industry has transformed the landscape of Texas.

January 17, 2009 - The Blaffer Gallery

Cars Are Here To Stay, Transit Is Not The Answer

UC Davis Professor Daniel Sperling, a transportation expert and member of CA's ARB has co-written "Two Billion Cars: Driving Toward Sustainability". In this radio interview, Sperling describes cleaner auto technologies but dismisses transit's role.

January 16, 2009 - NPR: 'Fresh Air'

New Highways 'A Catastrophic Choice'

Alex Steffen of WorldChanging looks at the Obama administration's moves towards funding more highways, the appointment of Ray LaHood, and argues that we can do much better.

January 16, 2009 - WorldChanging

Putting a Furnace Under the Economy

If we're looking for a way to kick-start a green economy, we could do worse than investing in American-made, high-efficiency furnaces, argues Paul Loeb.

January 15, 2009 - CommonDreams

Wind Turbine Bridge Stirs Imaginations

A proposed bridge going over the Columbia River in the Portland-Vancouver area may be able to power itself with wind turbines integrated right onto the design.

January 15, 2009 - OregonLive

Recycling Becomes an Economic Liability

Due to consumers cutting back, the global market for recyclables has collapsed and even begun to cost some cities' recycling programs.

January 15, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

Can Brutalism Clash with Religious Exercise?

A Washington, D.C. church contends that its current facility, a historic Brutalist buildling, interferes with its theology and should be able to replace it with something more "welcoming" and fitting with "the scale of the community."

January 14, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

Electric Car Race Heats Up

It's clear that both domestic and international auto companies are gearing up to manufacture all-electric (battery-powered) vehicles, though whether the market goes for them is another story with gas prices at historic lows.

January 14, 2009 - The New York Times

Exxon to Congress: Give Us A Carbon Tax, Please!

Exxon's CEO has joined Al Gore, Dr. James Hansen, and others on the forefront fighting climate change in requesting a carbon tax, though they make in clear it should be in lieu of cap & trade, the method favored by the Democrats.

January 12, 2009 - The Wall Street Journal

First 'Biofuels Corridor' in the U.S.

If you want to drive your biofuel car between Gary, Indiana to Mobile, Alabama, now you can. A collaboration of states with the Dept. of Energy has created a 886-mile corridor of biofueling stations stretching from Lake Michigan to the Mobile Bay.

January 10, 2009 - Clean Cities Now

Beware of Low Oil Prices

The unexpected plunge in oil prices is leading to declining investments in renewables and may prove politically destabilizing, argues Michael Klare.

January 9, 2009 - TomDispatch

People Who Live Alone Are Big Energy Wasters

A new study from SMR Research Corporation reveals that people who live alone use 18% more energy than two-person households, and 30% more than three-person homes. McMansions are, or course, cited as big wasters.

January 9, 2009 - The Ground Floor

Skyscraper Farms, Agriculture for the Future?

Thirty-story buildings used for crop-growing is a good idea on paper, but the challenges still outweigh the benefits.

January 8, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

Canada on Verge of Wind Energy "Breakthrough"

Canada is now on the road to developing enough capacity to have at least some residents in every province receiving at least some of their energy from turbines.

January 7, 2009 - The Globe and Mail

Wind Power Embraced in New York City

Small wind turbines are showing up on residential properties in New York City as developers get savvy about cutting energy costs with passive technologies.

January 6, 2009 - The New York Times

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.