Environment

New Bureau of Land Management Head Wants to Sell Public Lands
The Trump administration's attack on the protection and conservation of public lands has a new champion.

Lake Michigan Wreaking Havoc on Chicago This Summer
Lake Michigan has reached historic levels this summer. Properties on the Far North Side are most at risk. Swimmers have already been called back from the shore.

Climate Mayors Make Their Case to Climate Senators at their First Hearing
Five "climate mayors" addressed the Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis at their fist hearing on July 17, titled, “A Blueprint for Success: U.S. Climate Action at the Local Level.” Transportation was a major issue.

Reno Action Plan Calls for Emissions Reductions and Climate Resilience
The Reno City Council this week approved a new, 165-page "Sustainability and Climate Action Plan."

What it Means to Design With Nature in 2019
It's been 50 years since Ian McHarg released Design With Nature, and projects all over the world are continuing to employ and improve the design ethos described in that groundbreaking book.

Study: Not All Green Spaces Are Created Equal
Tree canopies deliver the most benefits to health and social outcomes to neighborhoods.

German Greens Want Domestic Air Travel to Be Obsolete by 2035
Alliance 90/The Greens, a political party in Germany, wants the country's domestic travel to shift completely to rail. Achieving that goal will require making air travel more expensive and rail travel cheaper and easier.

Four Automakers Make Private Deal with California on Emissions Standards
Next month, the Trump administration rolls out one of their most significant environmental rollbacks, freezing auto emission and fuel efficiency standards at 2020 levels. The deal unveiled by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday may upend Trump's plans.

How the Green New Deal Could Transform the Built Environment
If it emulated and adapted the scope of its predecessor, the Green New Deal could transform the country in fundamental ways, with builders, planners, and architects playing central roles.

Office of Sustainability Nixed in Louisville
Budget cuts resulted in the demise of the Office of Sustainability in the city of Louisville.

California Faces Costly Measures in Preparing for Future Wildfires
In California, recovery after wildfires means many upfront investments by communities and the state.

Satirizing Mayors Who Campaign for President During a Flood
The Onion took some shots at presidential hopeful and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio after summer rain showers flooded streets and sent water cascading into the city's subway system.

L.A. Program Brings Earthquake Preparedness to Neighborhoods
A new Los Angeles initiative looks to neighborhood councils to lead disaster planning efforts that involve more residents.

California City Bans the Words 'Managed Retreat' While Wrestling With Sea-Level Rise
Politicians in California are trying to plan for a rising sea, but some have stopped using the phrase “managed retreat” because they feel it derails the process.

Shuttering a Large Coal Plant: A Tale of Two States
Environmentalists in California are upset that Los Angeles will build a new 840-megawatt natural gas plant to replace a 1,800-megawatt coal plant. The coal plant has been crucial to the economic development of Millard County, Utah.

The Post-Wildfire Dilemma: Rebuild or Retreat?
Even after experiencing devastating wildfires, residents are often willing to take the risk to return and start over.

Another Berkeley 'First': Banning Natural Gas Lines in New Buildings
On Tuesday night, the City Council of Berkeley, Calif., unanimously voted to ban natural gas infrastructure from new buildings starting next year, the first city in the U.S. to pass such an ordinance. Fifty cities in the state could be next.

An 'Urban Orchard' Next to the Los Angeles River
The city of South Gate, located on the southern stretch of the Los Angeles River, downriver of Downtown Los Angeles, recently published an initial study of the "Urban Orchard Project."

One Wet Year Doesn't Mean the Drought Is Over
Rivers are high and drought conditions have been lifted, but experts say that the 19-year drought in Colorado isn't over.
A Climate Change Preview Underway in Michigan
Water is encroaching on neighborhoods and shorelines in Detroit at rare levels. Those impacts and many more are considered only a preview of what's to come when the worst effects of climate change strike the Great Lakes region.
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.
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