Energy
Houston: Peak Oil Metaphor?
James Howard Kunstler attends the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO) and finds downtown Houston a "ghastly" environment that shows that even without zoning a city can achieve "miserable" results.
Cities To Go Dark
San Francisco and Los Angeles will turn off their lights tonight in a voluntary effort to show how simple changes in behavior can have a big effect, especially on big city skylines.
In City Greening, Buildings Need Policy, Too
New York mayor Michael Bloomberg's widely-touted plan for a greener city have left out the major energy consumer in Manhattan: the thousands of buildings not owned by the city.
European Cities Move On Climate Change
Cities in Europe are not letting the lack of an international compact on climate change stop them from taking efforts to reduce their impact on the planet.
Thirsty For A 'Green' Lifestyle? Drink Tap Water
A recent survey show that tap water outperforms bottled water, which bodes well for cities and citizens concerned about the environmental impacts of the billion dollar bottled water industry.
Solar Trees Can Provide Parking In The Shade
A San Diego-based company is marketing solarized parking lots and solar trees as a way to provide shade and generate electricity.
The Building's Green, But What About The Commute?
This article from Environmental Building News looks at the energy required to get workers from home to work -- often a use of energy that far surpasses that of the workplace itself.
Oil-Rich Calgary As 'Climate Change Crusader'?
Sprawling Calgary, Alberta, may have the biggest ecological footprint of any city in Canada -- and no municipal recycling program -- but will soon supply 75% of its energy needs through wind power.
Building Green -- Retroactively
Across the country, an emerging trend is seeing existing and older buildings being retrocommissioned as environmentally-friendly structures. Nearly 500 are awaiting LEED certification.
When The Lights Go Out In The City
For one hour next month, municipal facilities in San Francisco will voluntarily turn out their lights in a citywide effort to cut energy use.
Bill Seeks Fast-Track Approval For Emissions-Reducing Projects
A bill being pushed in the California State Senate looks to ease the approval of developments that reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- part of an effort to help the state reach its goal of 25% in reductions by 2020.
What's Right And Wrong With LEED
In this article from New Urban News, Philip Langdon looks at LEED, and identifies some ways the system works well and other ways it can improve.
Residents And Housing Associations Grapple Over Clotheslines
Across the country, communities and housing associations are finding themselves in heated debates over what would otherwise be a rather banal subject: drying clothes. Some want to use clotheslines, but others worry about plummeting property values.
Planners Propose Diesel As Denver Rail Budget Balloons
In an effort to avoid the extra costs associated with electrifying trains and building overhead wiring systems, transportation planners are backing a plan to develop a 41-mil commuter rail line in Denver with diesel-powered trains.
Outsourcing Pollution: The Dirty Side Of Clean Alternatives
Physicist and renowned environmental leader, Vandana Shiva, talks about globalization, emissions trading, and environmental justice.
Turning A City Green
A small town in England has been able to embrace the participation and enthusiasm of many of its 1,000 residents in an effort to become the first carbon-neutral village in the UK.
U.S. Coastal Cities Face Catastrophic Risk
The U.S. coastline, home to 53% of the nation's population, is at catastrophic risk from just a 1-meter rise in sea level concludes a major new study.
McMansions Equivalent To 'SUVs That Run for 100 Years'
The ever-growing size of American homes means that, regardless of how "green" the construction techniques, they will be rapacious users of energy for decades to come.
Sacramento's Green Ambitions
With ambitious environmentally-conscious building requirements and the cooperation of the state government, the California Capitol city Sacramento is looking to edge past Chicago as the nation's greenest city.
Ohio Looks To Embrace Alternative Energy Sources
Newly elected Gov. Ted Strickland (D) has made the pursuit of alternative energies a focus thus far in his tenure. Are the winds finally changing in Ohio?
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
