Water

Will Olympics Earn Green Medal for London?

The 2012 Olympics are hoped to create a big economic boost for host city London. The event's long-term impacts on the environment, though, are still hard for organizers to predict.

May 25, 2011 - The Guardian

Mississippi River Course Change Likely

By analyzing maps and topographical information, this post from Data Pointed shows how the Mississippi River is likely to change course and head towards lower ground.

May 25, 2011 - Data Pointed

Booming West Faces Busted Water Supply

Projections of water shortages and predicted changes in the climate mean bad news for water users in the American West.

May 18, 2011 - Miller-McCune

Architecture Projects with a Regional Mindframe

An increasing amount of architecture projects in the U.S. are taking regional concerns like water and energy production into consideration.

May 14, 2011 - Architect

Following Up on Dire Predictions About Water in the West

25 years after the publication of Cadillac Desert, scientists have scrutinized the predictions of the hallmark history of water in the Western U.S. and find that its dire warnings are not far off.

May 12, 2011 - Miller-McCune

Philadelphia Goes Porous

Philadelphia's water department has opened its first street made of porous pavement, which will help city streets safer by absorbing rain water.

May 10, 2011 - philly.com

Getting Off the Water Grid in Seattle

Buildings in Seattle, including a school, are trying to remove themselves from the urban water grid. More could soon follow.

April 28, 2011 - The Seattle Times

State Subsidies Enable the Southwest's Largest New Urbanist Development

It's at Albuquerque's edge, it's the size of Manhattan, and it's happening, despite drought, recession and tightening state budgets. An annotation of Mesa del Sol's master plan explains how and why.

April 25, 2011 - High Country News

Planning Sidewalks in an Age of Climate Change

A new report on sidewalks and climate change in Seattle prompts a call to urban planners and municipal officials to take greater care in installing sidewalks in neighborhoods.

April 24, 2011 - Crosscut

Sharing Water in an Age of Shortages

As water resources become increasingly important in the American West, new tactics for sharing among farmers, environmentalists and urban officials are showing how arid areas can withstand shortages.

April 22, 2011 - High Country News

The Need for 'Blue Urbanism'

In a world heavily composed of and reliant on water, how we treat our oceans should be a major aspect of the way we think about planning and living on this planet, according to Timothy Beatley.

April 22, 2011 - Places

A Worrying Future for Urban Water

Climate change is expected to create major shifts in the amount of water and rainfall in cities in the near future. A recent symposium in Philadelphia on urban water delved into this emerging problem.

April 8, 2011 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Visualizing Water in the Landscape

Water shortages are on the rise, and effective management of this dwindling resource is becoming increasingly important to cities. How architects and planners visualize water in the landscape plays a big role in how it is understood and managed.

April 3, 2011 - Places

Climate Change and the Urban Water Crisis

As population growth and climate change set in, cities in developing countries will face major shortages of freshwater. A new report looks at how those cities could be affected and what preventive steps they should start taking.

April 2, 2011 - Grist

Visualizing the Cost of Water

This visualization compares the costs of providing water in cities across the world, and shows how those costs have grown or shrank in recent years.

March 25, 2011 - Kraeutli

The World's Water-Smart Cities

This collection of city profiles looks at cities around the world that are making major improvements to the way they handle and provide water.

March 24, 2011 - National Geographic

Physically Modeling and Understanding Floods in the U.S.

Despite efforts to stop them, floods hammered the U.S. in the early 20th century. A now abandoned model of the Mississippi river, its tributaries and surrounding lands was built to better understand how to combat those floods.

March 23, 2011 - Places

Ancient Canals Offer Water Solution for Desert City

The ancient irrigation networks lying below Phoenix could offer a solution to the sprawling desert city's water problems.

March 13, 2011 - Archaeology

The Trouble with Radioactive Water

Grist delves into the responses and repercussions of a recent New York Times story about contaminated water in Pittsburgh caused by a method of extracting natural gas known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking.

March 5, 2011 - Grist

Protecting Water Security in the Chicago Area

Regional water issues are of major concern in many parts of the world. The Chicago area is especially sensitive to water. New efforts are underway there to help preserve a threatened resource.

February 15, 2011 - Citiwire

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.