Flooding
Up and Running: The Speedy Recovery of Houston's City Hall
Following Hurricane Harvey, Houston's City Hall became flooded with four feet of water, rendering the building's electrical and mechanical equipment useless. Restoring power back to City Hall quickly was crucial in aiding the recovery efforts.
New York Updating its Flood Resilience Zoning
New York City intends to make sure that zoning codes are a tool for preventing the risks of flooding.
How the National Flood Insurance Program Sabotaged Itself
Having charged low rates during years of bumper development, the National Flood Insurance Program worked at cross-purposes with itself while development continued on.
Will Americans Ever Move Out of Flood-Prone Areas?
After a series of hurricanes, experts discuss how guide people out of the way of the most deadly floods and storms.
Harvey Flooding Unlikely to Depress Houston's Housing Market
Vigorous continued demand for Houston homes left some realtors surprised after the city endured catastrophic flooding. For a lot of new construction, elevated homes may become the norm.
Homeland Security Advisor Recognizes Effects of Climate Change, Ignores Causes
In response to a question linking Hurricanes Irma and Harvey to climate change, White House Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert appeared to recognize the need to adapt. He qualified his statement regarding the "cause" of said climate change.
Long Island Developers Taking Storm Risk Seriously
Tree-huggers many of them are not, but there's consensus among Long Island developers that storm resilience is an investment worth making.
Houston Flooding: Climate Change or Development Patterns to Blame?
The Guardian's former environmental editor asks if urban sprawl is as much to blame as climate change for the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston.
EPA's Scott Pruitt Dismisses Global Warming Connection to Houston Flooding
While any one event can not be attributed to global warming, climate scientists have long acknowledged a connection to extreme weather. Pruitt, a climate denier, dismisses any such connection with the amount of rainfall from Hurricane Harvey.
The Culprit of Houston Flooding: Sprawl, Not Lack of Zoning
As Houston's flood waters recede and attention turns from rescue to recovery and soon rebuilding, critics have pointed to the city's lack of zoning as the cause of the devastation. But are they looking in the right direction?
Houston's Drainage Problem
Houston received over 50 inches of rain from Hurricane Harvey in five days. While no city could survive that drenching unscathed, Houston was not prepared to handle the floods due to decades of neglect of stormwater management planning.
Can Zoning Mitigate Flooding? Yes...And No
Houston's flooding might be mitigated by land use regulation- but not the type of regulations that most cities have.
New Orleans Stormwater Systems Failing Again
In an underreported fact, it has rained every day since April 1 in New Orleans this year. The city is struggling to deploy stormwater infrastructure, however, and flooding overwhelmed drainage again this month, on the cusp of hurricane season.
Sea Level Rise Will Displace Communities in Every Corner of the Bay Area
Sea level rise is already flooding communities with such regularity that many residents are deciding to leave. The sea level rise tipping point will expand its reach as the climate changes.
Tolling May Finance Repair of Bay Area Highway Threatened by Sea Level Rise
Officials have begun tackling the problem of adapting low-lying State Route 37 in the North Bay, closed several times this year due to flooding, to climate change. With no identified funding, a working group is leaning toward road tolling.
Philadelphia Bills on Green Roofs and Electric Cars Show Backwards Thinking
Philadelphia's green roof law allows developers to build 25 percent more units if they put a green roof on their buildings. Councilmember Squilla wants to exempt his district from that law.
Insurance Industry Reacting as Flooding Moves From Risk to Certainty
Federal legislation and rising sea levels are changing the way homes are insured against flooding. According to this feature article, in fact, flood insurance "is serving as a kind of advance scout into a more difficult future."
A Toolbox of Green Infrastructure Solutions to Flooding Risks
A new one-stop shop for green infrastructure solutions is available to planners and engineers challenged by flooding.
The Upside of Flooding
Stormwater and cities don't mix. Stormwater and nature, however, are well suited for each other.
Lessons from Oroville: Resilience for Scarcity and Abundance
Swings in weather-related fortunes will continue to push to unprecedented extremes, in California, in Texas, in Boston, in Long Island, in Louisiana, and everywhere else.
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.
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
