Flooding

Downtown Boston

Preparing Boston for Future Floods

Boston Mayor, Martin Walsh's, climate change plan is one of the most thorough in the country. The question remains: Will any of the plan be put into action?

January 6, 2017 - Next City

Aerial views during an Army search and rescue mission show damage from Hurricane Sandy to the New Jersey coast, Oct. 30, 2012.

How Rising Seas Threaten the NYC Metro Area

A report from the Regional Plan Association maps out what might happen under 1, 3, and 6 feet of sea level rise. In the worst cases, several dense and populated regions are affected.

December 26, 2016 - RPA Lab

Clear-Sky Flood

Houston's Rapid Growth Will Make Future Floods Worse

Houston's development has meant the loss of many wetlands, a key factor in protecting the against floods. This, coupled with climate change, will mean more floods, causing more danger and damage to the growing city.

December 15, 2016 - ProPublica

Flooding

Public Service Announcement: What Not to Do in the Event of a Flood

Many people don't realize it, but flooding is the most common weather-related disaster. What should people know about dealing with this persistent threat when it happens in their community?

December 5, 2016 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Permeable Pavement

Atlanta Installs Permeable Pavement in Flood-Prone Neighborhoods

These Atlanta neighborhoods stand to gain in the long term from the city's new permeable pavement system and water retention park. But the project has displaced some residents.

December 4, 2016 - Next City

Flood

Small Number of Repeatedly Flooded Properties Account for Much of Flooding’s Cost

New policies may be needed to encourage more responsible development and keep builders from constructing structures that will inevitably be flooded.

November 1, 2016 - Pew Charitable Trusts

Houston Flood

Texas Flood Victims Searching for Answers

The controversy over the flooding of the Addicks Reservoir outside Houston seems to have no resolution in site. What follows is a cautionary tale about building homes where waters flood.

October 31, 2016 - Houston Chronicle

Hurricane Matthew Brings Record Flooding in North Carolina

Hurricane Matthew seemed to have hit a glancing blow on the southeastern seaboard over the weekend, until the floodwaters, and the death tolls, started to rise.

October 13, 2016 - Vox

Flooding

Five Canadian Cities Already Facing Climate Change

The CBC produced an interactive feature about the dangers of climate change in Canada, focusing on five cities threatened by environmental factors like sea-level rise, flooding, and wildfires.

October 10, 2016 - CBC Radio

Getting Raised in Gentilly, Loisiana

Louisiana Dials Back Requirements for Elevating Homes in Flood Areas

Housing market pressures, flood insurance costs, changing FEMA maps, and improved methods of flood control are giving victims of flood damage in Louisiana mixed signals on how high they should rebuild their homes.

September 22, 2016 - The Advocate (Louisiana)

Minneapolis Riverfront

The ASLA's New Guide to Resilient Design

The American Society of landscape Architects is promoting a new guide to resilient landscape design, which examines hundreds of case studies for examples of infrastructure that works with nature, instead of against it.

September 20, 2016 - ASLA The Dirt

Coney Island

Planning for Resilience on Coney Island Creek

A case study in New York's response to the Hurricane Sandy flooding in the neighborhoods of Coney Island and Gravesend.

August 28, 2016 - New York Economic Development Corporation

Sea Level

The Danger of Buying By the Sea

Zillow has released research on how many of the nation's homes may be underwater (literally) by the year 2100. Florida, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Louisiana are at the highest risk.

August 26, 2016 - Zillow

Hurricane Katrina

Planetizen Week in Review: August 20, 2016

Climate change dominated the news this week, as flooding wreaked unfathomable havoc on the state of Louisiana.

August 20, 2016 - Planetizen

Louisiana Flooding

This Is Climate Change: Eight 500-Year Storms Since May *2015

The extreme weather events predicted for decades by climate scientists have been on parade in the Southern United States all year. Are we ready to say, "this is climate change"?

August 17, 2016 - The New York Times

Rescue Efforts Underway as Southeast Louisiana Faces Historic Flooding

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is describing the flooding in Southeast Louisiana as an "unprecedented and historic flooding event."

August 15, 2016 - The New Orleans Times-Picayune

Clear-Sky Flood

Welcome to a Changed Climate: It Even Floods When it's Sunny

A new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documents the increasing frequency of nuisance floods and "clear-sky flooding."

June 11, 2016 - USA Today

New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina

New Flood Maps Downplay Risks in New Orleans

Recently released flood maps created by FEMA for the city of New Orleans are receiving criticism for being 'overly optimistic' when it comes to risks posed by hurricanes and rising sea levels.

June 3, 2016 - The New York Times

Downtown Houston

Opportunities for Urban Innovation in Houston

Kinder Institute director William Fulton discusses Houston's changing demographics and economic prospects. He sees the city as a place to pioneer and implement solutions to Sun Belt problems.

May 22, 2016 - Next City

Houston Bayou

Houston's Floods a Reminder of the Importance of Wetlands Protection

The executive director of the Bayou Land Conservancy takes to the pages of the Houston Chronicle to describe the conservationist and landscape-focused efforts that can prevent floods like those that struck Houston this week.

April 21, 2016 - Houston Chronicle

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.