Pollution

Dallas Neighborhoods Fight Toxic Zoning
Communities in south and west Dallas are working to introduce zoning reform that would reduce industrial pollution and hold companies accountable for their impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.

Great Lakes To Receive $1 Billion from Infrastructure Bill For Restoration
An additional $1 billion in federal funding will bolster current efforts to clean polluted water sources and restore ecosystems in the Great Lakes region.

Everglades Restoration To Receive $1.1 Billion in Federal Funds
An 'unprecedented' investment of more than one billion dollars will go toward efforts to restore and conserve the fragile and troubled South Florida ecosystem.

A Toxic Legacy in an Orange County Neighborhood
The contaminated soil and neglected infrastructure in Santa Ana's Barrio Logan community are a result of decades of land use decisions and willful disinvestment, one journalist writes.

To Fight Climate Change, Support Public Transit
Electric cars may garner a lot of attention these days, but significantly reducing carbon emissions and urban congestion means investing in high-quality mass transit.

Opinion: Renters Shouldn't Be a 'Buffer' for Single-Family Homes
Despite the well-documented impacts of traffic noise and pollution, Vancouver's housing policy effectively relegates multi-family apartment buildings to busy arterial roads.

How Street Configuration Impacts Equity
With urban pollution and traffic violence disproportionately affecting communities of color, better management of public space and streets could improve equity in cities.

The World's Economic Bailout Came With Huge Environmental Costs
The world collectively spent on $17 trillion economic stimulus during the pandemic. The vast majority of that spending will make climate change and other environmental pollution much worse.

Mapping Environmental Justice Hotspots
A new map of Virginia illustrates the stark contrasts in pollution burdens depending on location.

FYI about GSI: The Recipe for Green Stormwater Infrastructure Success
New research highlights some of the ways planners can increase the social benefits and public acceptance of green stormwater infrastructure.

State Legislation Would Make Louisiana a 'Fossil Fuel Sanctuary State'
A Louisiana state legislator who is also the owner of oil company has proposed several laws that would remove regulations for the oil industry, including one that would prevent the local and state regulation of oil and gas companies.

2021 Most Endangered Rivers List Highlights Environmental Justice
The annual list of endangered rivers created by American Rivers has always documented pollution and other threats like dam construction, but this year, the confluence of water and systemic racism warrants extra attention.

Biden's Climate Plan Centers Environmental Justice
The Biden administration's climate plan calls for sweeping reform in the country's energy policy and places new focus on addressing racial and economic disparities.

Cars Pollute in More Ways Than One
Tires wear down and shed toxic microplastics into stormwater, which eventually ends up in rivers and the ocean. Recent research sheds new light on the extent of the damage.

The Legacy of Structural Poverty in Alabama
In rural Alabama, a long history of racial inequality and poverty has left people struggling to survive in uninhabitable housing.

U.S. EPA To Reclassify Thousands of Major Polluters
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated its new rule change will result in up to 1,258 tons of additional emissions of hazardous materials every year.

Landmark Environmental Justice Law Signed in New Jersey
New Jersey is now home to one of the "most stringent" environmental justice laws in the country.

New Research Documents the Tragic Consequences of Noise Pollution
In the United States, busy roads shorten lives in more ways than one, but when it comes to the ill effects of noise pollution, almost no efforts are made to reduce the damage.

Wildfire Smoke Affecting Communities Across the Country
Wildfires in California and Colorado are spewing out smoke that is traveling to other parts of the country. The health effects of the dirty air are substantial, and they could last long after the fires are out.

Challenging the Permitting Record of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Zoning in the U.S. was originally intended to keep noxious uses out of residential areas. Around Houston, which famously lacks a traditional zoning system, polluting uses are still granted broad permission to operate in residential areas.
Pagination
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