The media's inattention to Hurricane Ike has hidden its devastating impacts on infrastructure and the environment, as well as a poor response on the part of the federal government.
"It's been lost in the shuffle with the turmoil of the financial markets, but Hurricane Ike has been a disaster of epic proportions in western Louisiana and Texas. This powerful Category 2 hurricane wracked...45,000 homes [and left]hundreds of thousands more Americans in the Midwest without power for days in a 200-mile-wide swath from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes.
Then there was Ike's environmental impact. According to an analysis of federal data by The Associated Press, at least a half million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and the marshes, bayous and bays of Louisiana and Texas.
It took days for the rest of the nation to learn that a million Houston residents had no running water for three days. Or that no local shelters had been opened during the storm. Or that only two of the region's 14 hospitals reopened within the first two weeks after the storm.
We're not talking about a Third World city seeing conditions like this. This is Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States. And conditions in Galveston, which took a direct hit from Ike, were even worse. "
FULL STORY: A silent disaster
Adapting Building Codes to Natural Disasters Saves Billions
New research shows that modern building codes have prevented around $27 billion in damage from natural disasters between 2000 and 2016, yet many cities still operate under decades-old regulations.
The Compounding Dangers of the Virus and Natural Disasters
As Hurricane Laura intensified into a Category 4 storm, public officials had to make decisions about evacuation during a time of sheltering in place. Researchers at Texas A&M University developed a risk index to guide decisionmaking processes.
In Paradise, Using Greenbelts to Manage Wildfires
The Camp Fire in California devasted the town of Paradise. As rebuilding progresses, local leaders are looking to protect the town using nature-based fire resilience strategies.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service