Green Building

Planned Eco-City in China Stumbles

Dongtan eco-city was to be a community of 50,000 residents living in a utopian, eco-friendly development. But since the mayor of Shanghai, a big supporter, was arrested on fraud charges, the whole project may be dead in the water.

December 27, 2008 - The Christian Science Monitor

Builders Chafe at Green Standards

The State of Connecticut will enact a new green building code in January, and builders are already calling it "awkward" and "unworkable".

December 16, 2008 - The New York Times

What Green Architecture Really Means

Architect David Cook looks at the sustainability craze in building and architecture and warns that calling something "green" doesn't necessarily make it so.

December 8, 2008 - Flavorwire

The Future Homes of Post-Crash America

Just as good economic times pushed housing sizes to mansion-like proportions, the downturn in the economy will force builders and consumers to size down and get energy efficient, according to this commentary from James S. Russell.

November 16, 2008 - Bloomberg

Plenty Green But Too Tall?

In what may prove a decisive test to see the political limits of what green building offers developers, a LEED Platinum, 10-story office building is proposed along San Francisco's tightly regulated waterfront - exceeding the height limit by 40 feet.

November 10, 2008 - San Francisco Chronicle

County Enacts Far-Reaching Green Building Reform

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors recently approved a package of green building ordinances that may be the most comprehensive and far reaching green building legislation at the local level in the country.

November 4, 2008 - The Planning Report

Leafy Skyscraper Going Up in Singapore

Construction on architects TR Hamzah & Yeang's EDITT Building (Ecological Design in the Tropics) is underway in Singapore

October 21, 2008 - World Construction

A Living Museum in Golden Gate Park

Renzo Piano's new Academy of Sciences building in San Francisco is bursting with green technology and alive with plants.

September 24, 2008 - Bloomberg.com

'I Hate Green Architecture'

Cathleen McGuigan, Newsweek's architecture critic, is disdainful of the hype surrounding green architecture, particularly because it so often doesn't address the main problems with land use: proximity to jobs and services, and oversized development.

September 19, 2008 - Newsweek

When Housing Market Rebounds, Green Building May Boom

The current downturn in the housing industry may be opening the door for a greener upswing.

August 9, 2008 - Fast Company

Broad Green Building Law Passed in San Francisco

San Francisco has passed some of the strictest green building requirements in the nation, for new construction and renovations.

August 6, 2008 - The San Francisco Chronicle

SF's New Federal Building is Green and Safe, But Is It Good?

Witold Rybczynski visits Thom Mayne's new Federal Building in downtown San Francisco. He finds a number of energy conservation innovations at play, but concludes that precious little else is playful or human about the architecture.

July 25, 2008 - Slate.com

How Much Is Green Worth?

A recent conference in Austin, Texas, of real estate appraisers explored how they should incorporate green-building techniques and features into their assessment of properties.

June 27, 2008 - Austin Business Journal

Is New Building Ever Green?

Chevron is moving its New Orleans offices from downtown to a brand new, "eco-friendly" campus- opening up the discussion of whether new construction is ever greener than staying put.

June 16, 2008 - New Orleans Business News

Tornado Clears Way for LEED Platinum Building

The 5-4-7 Arts Center in Greensburg, Kansas gets a LEED platinum designation- evidence that the town, which was 95% destroyed by a tornado in May, 2006, is making good on its sustainable rebuilding plan.

June 13, 2008 - Kiowa County Singnal

Waco Debuts Nation's First 'Green' Chamber Building

The Waco Chamber of Commerce is credited with inspiring a renaissance in downtown, developing their new headquarters on a former parking lot. They hope to receive LEED certification - the first U.S. chamber building to receive this designation.

June 9, 2008 - Waco Tribune-Herald

Barn-Raising For the 21st Century

An old-fashioned community barn-raising in Masonville, Texas could in fact be a glimpse of the future.

June 7, 2008 - Fort Collins Now

New State Laws Making It Easier To Build Green

States are helping homeowners who want to have a more eco-friendly lifestyle by overturning homeowner association regulations that ban solar panels and wind turbines.

May 12, 2008 - USA Today

Inside the Plans for a Carbon-Neutral City in the Desert

This segment from NPR looks at plans for the carbon-neutral Masdar City in Abu Dhabi.

May 12, 2008 - NPR

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.