Pittsburgh's strategy of slow, steady growth has made it the front runner for sustainable building. The city now boasts the most LEED-certified square footage in the country.
"The city's commercial real estate market is relatively healthy. In the fourth quarter of 2008, Pittsburgh earned the top ranking in Moody's Investors Service's quarterly 'Red-Yellow-Green' report on the state of commercial real estate in 60 major United States cities."
"A number of century-old landmarks have been revived as energy-efficient buildings in the last decade, and several major projects, both new and retrofits, will open this spring.
Years before national environmental building standards were set in 2000, Pittsburgh began experimenting in sustainability as local architects, engineers and academics debated how to reuse old industrial sites.
'We were working on the Model T of green building,' said the architect Bob Kobet of the discussions among early proponents of solar energy, weatherization and nontoxic design."
FULL STORY: The Greening of Pittsburgh
From Blight to Benefit: Early Results From California’s Equitable Cleanup Program
The Equitable Community Revitalization Grant (ECRG) program is reshaping brownfield redevelopment by prioritizing projects in low-income and environmental justice communities, emphasizing equity, transparency, and community benefits.
Pittsburgh Rolls Out Electric School Buses
Pittsburgh Public Schools has launched its first electric school buses, with plans to fully electrify its fleet over the next 14 months, aiming to create a cleaner, more sustainable transportation system supported by new charging infrastructure.
From Brownfields to Community Assets: A Conference on Land Revitalization
The 2025 California Land Recycling Conference (CALRC) will convene experts in Carson, CA, from September 16-18 to discuss brownfield redevelopment, sustainability, and equitable land reuse, with session proposals open until March 31, 2025.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.
Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.
Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
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.
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Harvard GSD Executive Education
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NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service