Environment
What Desert Living Can Teach Designers About Building in Urban L.A.
A visit to Cal-Earth in Hesperia leads aspiring environmental designer Daniel Ebuehi to examine how some aspects of desert living could translate to an urban environment.
Rockefeller's 100 Resilient Cities: 33 Chosen, What's Next?
In December, the Rockefeller Foundation chose the first 33 cities to receive funding and support through its 100 Resilient Cities Challenge. Here's what comes next.
U.S. Think Tank Questions Australia's Environmental Policies
The Centre for Global Development, authors of the Commitment to Development Index, has ranked Australia well in terms of its policies towards developing countries but it falls down the index on its environmental policies.
To Reform CEQA, Return to its Roots
Rick Cole, the former City Manager of Ventura, California, and a well-known civic leader in Southern California, defends the need for CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) while calling for returning to the law's key roots.
Invest in Public Transit to Slow Climate Change
Reflecting on the significance and impact of Superstorm Sandy, Bill McKibben and Lawrence J. Hanley propose a 3-step process focused on mass transit that America should pursue to promote community development, public health and the environment.
Federal-aid Highway Program Essentials
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently launched a new information-sharing initiative designed to help local public agencies and state departments of transportation manage their Federal-aid Highway Program projects.
Can California's Delta Plan Balance Infrastructure Investment with Environmental Protections?
Jerry Meral, Deputy Secretary of Resources in California, discusses balancing myriad stakeholders and goals in pushing for Governor Brown's controversial Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta plan.
Bringing Crowdfunding to Our Backyards
Michael J. Coren shines a light on an innovative crowdfunding site targeting neighborhood improvements.
Wind Farm Proposal off New Jersey Shoreline Draws Controversy
An independent analysis insists that Fishermen's Energy's 30-megawatt wind farm project could cause a statewide economic disaster, writes Tom Johnson.
The Benefits of Urban Forests
Poor air quality has led to an explosion of a health problems among vulnerable populations, claims the American Society of Landscape Architects. This video explains how urban forests provide environmental benefits to densely populated cities.
Stadiums Get Sustainable
Many sport agencies are realizing the benefits of going green. John McHale Jr., executive vice president at M.L.B. said “just because you can’t do everything doesn’t mean you can’t do something.” Many others are doing their part to help as well.
Rapid City Growth Causes Concern Over Urban Sprawl
The rapid growth of cities is causing concern amongst experts over the effects of urban sprawl. There are 19 megacities in the world today, and 10 more will rise in the next 30 years, reports Marcus Moretti for Yale Daily News.
Lake Erie Is Dying (Again)
Deadly algae and invasive species are choking the life out of Lake Erie. It recovered from near-death 40 years ago, but the regulations that helped save it last time are under increasing attack.
The Challenge of Long-Term Planning
The sometimes decades-long gap between cause and effect makes it difficult to reverse long-standing transportation & planning policies, says Ben Brown.
Township vs. Billionaire
A township of 3,000 people is waging war on a proposal from a billionaire energy magnate that would turn a beloved stretch of Lake Michigan coastline into condos, a hotel, and a golf course.The battle persists, even as town funding has become scarce.
Environmental Problems Plague Dubai
After decades of rapid urbanization, the emirate is now contending with a wide range of challenges to its environment and infrastructure.
ARRA Misses the Ecological Mark
Hillary Brown argues that the infrastructure priorities of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act further the carbon-intensive status quo and miss an unprecedented opportunity to build innovative, green systems.
Levee Construction Around New Orleans Enters a Period of Uncertainty
The Times-Picayune reports that the Army Corps of Engineers, under pressure from penny-pinched local governments, has commenced a new pilot study that potentially relaxes the new, stricter standards for levees it set in place post-Katrina.
Waterfront Planning in a Shrinking City
What happens when a major retailer pulls out of a waterfront redevelopment project?
Roads, Oil Spills, and Externalities
Planners are quick to criticize roads and highway investments for the vast sums spent to build, operate and maintain them, often questioning the value of these subsidies. Recently, on a planning list-serve, these subsidies were labeled an “external cost” of automobiles, but they are not.
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
