The American Ling Association released its "State of the Air" report last week, finding that ozone and short-term particle pollution worsened in many cities in 2015-2017, compared to 2014-2016.

"About four in 10 people in the US live in counties where the air has either more ozone or more particulate pollution than is considered healthy," according to an article by Zoë Schlanger.
Those cities could look to places with clean air for leadership in protecting the air breathed by residents. The "State of the Air" report from the American Lung Association celebrates those cities with the cleanest air, including "a few cities [in the United States] that did not log a single bad-air day at all between 2015 and 2017."
Those places: Bangor, Maine; Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont; Honolulu, Hawaii; Lincoln-Beatrice, Nebraska; Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Florida; and Wilmington, North Carolina.
Schlanger also shares an additional eight "pretty good" cities that had no spikes in particulate pollution, and had low levels of particulate pollution all year round.
If you're looking for takeaways, a list of key findings from the report, prepared by the American Lung Association, includes an increasing number of high ozone and high particulate days in cities and increasing challenges and risks to human health posed by climate change.
FULL STORY: These six cities have the cleanest air in the US

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research