Sustainability
Unsustainable Humanity
Bill Rees, creator of the ecological footprint concept, warns that economic growth needs to slow down greatly if we want to maintain a civilized life on Earth.
The Small City: Reconsidered, And Ready to Be Sustainable
Catherine Tumber writes in defense of the small city, long neglected in policy and revitalization, but poised to be an excellent resource for sustainable living.
Building a Sustainable Suburb
In Rohnert Park, CA, developers are turning a former industrial site into a green community that is almost completely energy independent. But can a project like this fit into an auto-oriented suburb?
Two bad words
Often, participants in public debates use words to mean things very different from their common-sense meanings, in order to manipulate the public’s emotions. Two examples in the field of urban planning come to mind.
Inland Empire Seeks Solutions to Foreclosure Crisis
Ron Loveridge, the mayor of the Inland Empire's largest city, Riverside, details how regional and local leaders are working to recover from the effects of the foreclosure crisis.
Friday Funny: Sustainability Buzzword Generator
Need a sustainable slogan to show your green cred? Look no further than Building Magazine's Sustainability Buzzword Generator.
Creating Sustainability in Oregon
The master plan for Salem, Oregon's Pringle Creek Community is ambitious, says Jim Fitzsimons, incorporating mixed-use, sustainable development with the community-enhancing aspects of old city neighborhoods.
Personal Rapid Transit for San Jose Airport?
The City of San José, CA is reviewing proposals from 18 companies to create a PRT system connecting the airport to other transportation modes.
Growing People And Jobs While Shrinking Traffic
As New York City faces its worst financial crisis in 2 decades, a NYC D.O.T. study was released showing that from 2003-2007, the increase in jobs and people was accompanied by a slight decrease in traffic due primarily to increased transit usage.
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.
Draft EIR on SF's Bike Plan Released
A court order prohibits new bicycle infrastructure in San Francisco, but its Municipal Transportation Agency and Planning Department have crafted a 1,353-page Draft Environmental Impact Report to make a case against it.
Colossal Sprawl in Greater Toronto
"Why did nobody notice it? If these things were so large, how come everyone missed them?" - Queen Elizabeth, on the global credit crunch. Things are so large in the Vaughan Corporate Centre, an edge city about 20 kilometres northwest of downtown Toronto, that a cross-section of Vancouver's downtown peninsula, from False Creek to Lost Lagoon, could fit within five of its blocks. There's a street named Colossus, leading to a cineplex of the same name. The overpass and ramps of the adjacent freeways take up an area the size of the West End. They in turn are surrounded by acres of emptiness, just grass and dirt, awaiting more big boxes, more asphalt.
Why It's Different This Time
Historically, green initiatives come about as responses to energy crises, but are abandoned when oil prices drop and the economy busts. This time around, though, that's less likely to happen.
300% More Oxygen: The Guardian Examines Greenwashing
In a new weekly column, Fred Pearce of The Guardian examines corporate and municipal claims to sustainability.
How to Make San Francisco More Sustainable
As part of its series on creating a sustainable future, the San Francisco Bay Guardian has outlined a list of steps for improving land use in the city, and argues that current plans from the mayor won't be enough.
Chilling in Honolulu
Honolulu is moving ahead with an ambitious plan to use deep seawater as a natural air conditioning for downtown buildings. The system should be in place for up to 40 clients by 2010.
Green Technology for Cities
Writing from the Connected Urban Development conference in Amsterdam, reporter Scott Smith says that "the sustainable future will be a networked future."
Doug Farr on Detroit, His Hometown
A Detroit weekly talks to Doug Farr about his life growing up in Detroit and his ideas for bringing sustainable urbanism to the city.
'Sustainability Toolbar' Released for Google Sketchup
Integrated Environmental Solutions is releasing a free plug-in for Google's SketchUp software that allows users to run sustainability performance simulations.
Do Sustainable Buildings Need to Be Ugly?
As the number of sustainable buildings increase rapidly, ecologically friendly designs are shedding an ugly past for a sleeker and more striking future.
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
