The deaths of hundreds of pelicans, dolphins and manatees across Florida's Indian River estuary - 'one of the richest marine ecosystems in the continental United States' - have scientists concerned, and wondering if rapid urbanization is to blame.
"The cause [for the hundreds of pelican, dolphin and manatee deaths] continues to evade easy explanation," writes Michael Wines. "But a central question is whether the deaths are symptoms of something more ominous: the collapse of the natural balance that sustains the 156-mile estuary’s northern reaches."
“'We may have reached a tipping point,' said Troy Rice, who directs the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, a federal, state and local government partnership at the St. Johns River Water Management District."
"Mr. Rice’s fear, widely shared, is that an ecosystem that supports more than 4,300 species of wildlife — and commercial fisheries, tourism and other businesses generating nearly $4 billion annually — is buckling under the strain of decades of pollution generated by coastal Florida’s explosive development."
FULL STORY: Deaths of Manatees, Dolphins and Pelicans Point to Estuary at Risk
Is the Urban Form Sustainable?
One author offers a framework for resilience that rethinks common assumptions about the inevitability of cities as we know them.
A Rapidly Urbanizing Texas County Gets in Touch With its Agricultural Roots
Developers in Fort Bend County are drawing inspiration from ‘agrihoods’ to build car-light communities in one of the nation’s fastest-growing areas.
How Adaptive Retailers Contribute to Positive Urbanization
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What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
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‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
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Montreal’s Gorilla Park Repurposes Defunct Railway Track
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Spirit Lake Nation Reclaims 680 Acres After Century-Long Effort
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Bourbon Street Could Be a Model for Pedestrian Spaces
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Multiple Lawsuits Aim to Save NYC Congestion Pricing
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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.
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North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA)
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
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