Agriculture
Inside Havana's Urban Farms
This video from the BBC looks inside some of the 200 urban farms that provide vegetables for Havana and the rest of Cuba.
Measuring Environmental Impacts With the 'Water Footprint'
A Dutch hydrological engineer has developed a new way to measure the environmental impact of humans: the "water footprint".
Toilet to Tap to Farm
Farmers in the Monterey Bay area of California have been feeding their artichoke plants with recycled urban wastewater. And they've been doing it safely for years.
Feeding the World in 2050
Growing populations and diminishing land will make feeding people a challenge in the near future. This piece from Popular Science looks at eight strategies to keep the world fed.
'Fertile Crescent' Doomed by Century's End
Water projects and diversion efforts in Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria are draining the marshlands near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, known as the 'Fertile Crescent'.
Growing A Sustainable Urban Movement
The New York Times Magazine profiles Will Allen, the urban farmer from Wisconsin who recently received the MacArthur Foundation's "genius" grant for his work in agriculture.
Innovation Comes to the Greenhouse
Two brand new, high-tech greenhouses are rising in Camarillo, CA, with the promise of growing 20 times more tomatoes than conventional farming. They'll also be the first greenhouses to be completely carbon-neutral.
Vertical Farming Innovator Discusses the Future of Food
Miller-McCune talks with vertical farming innovator Dickson Despommier about why his idea is the future of food for cities and how it can go from blueprint to reality.
Peak Water: Tapping Out the Ogallala Aquifer
This piece from Scientific American looks at the jurisdictional challenge of conserving water in the cross-state Ogallala Aquifer, one of the world's largest sources of freshwater and the backbone of the nation's farm economy.
Pumping California Dry
Water shortages and environmentally-based restrictions are leaving Central California's agricultural lands dry. As a result, farmers are increasingly tapping into groundwater sources. Many are calling on the state to monitor the use of its aquifers.
Small Gardens Have Room to Grow
Small farms are getting some attention from the Obama Administration, but what's still holding them back is the proper infrastructure, according to this piece from Citiwire.
Water Woes Hurting California's Farming Towns
California's Central Valley is one of the top agricultural sites in the world, but with low rainfall and cut-off irrigation supplies, farming towns and their citizens may face at least one tough year ahead.
Vermont's Farms Cropping Up, Diversifying
The spike in farms can be seen statewide. They are more diverse than they used to be, and probably a response from young people who "want to know where their foods comes from" and have taken direct action.
Taking Local Food Production Year-Round
Though the use of new portable greenhouse techniques, one farmer is looking to extend his local food growing season year-round -- in Northern Vermont.
Abandoned Farmland Becoming Rainforest
As rural villagers abandon farms for the city, tropical lands are reverting to rainforests.
Cities Gone Wild!
Architects form the University of British Columbia are calling on cities to "go wild" -- mainly by integrating ecological features into the cityscape to make it more self-contained. The result would be both sustainable and exciting, they say.
Long Term Planning and the Importance of Soil
Degradation of soils has brought down many human civilizations. Our current industrial agriculture practices threaten the future of human existence. A 50-year farm bill is needed to guide policy on a more sustainable path, according to this oped.
A Place For Sustainable Food in Obama Administration?
This column looks at President-elect Barack Obama's food politics and wonders just how sustainable his administration's food policies will be.
Cuba Serves As Model For Urban Farming
With urban farms sprinkled throughout the island, Cuba is proving to be one of the world's most successful models of how to integrate agriculture into urban areas.
Financial Turmoil Leads to Reverse Migration in China
As more and more of China's "floating population" return from their city jobs to their farms, officials brace for backlash from the recently unemployed.
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
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
