Environment

Electric Car Charging Stencil

More EV Charging Coming to San Francisco Private and Public Parking Facilities

To reach an ambitious net-zero target for transportation emissions in San Francisco, Mayor Breed and two supervisors introduced legislation to require large parking facilities provide electric vehicle charging for 10% of spaces.

July 19, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Green Bike Lane

Anti-Displacement Efforts and Green Infrastructure Signal Hope in Portland

The Living Cully coalition prioritizes the well-being of long term, lower-income residents with future-building revitalization projects.

July 19, 2019 - Next City

Coastal City

A 20-Year To-Do List for Cities

Predicting the future of challenges facing cities isn't very hard when the future is already staring cities right in the face.

July 19, 2019 - Meeting of the Minds

Feather River Dam

As Extreme Weather Becomes More Common, Dams Become More Vulnerable

There are more than 90,000s dams in the U.S.; many will never be visited by federal or state inspectors.

July 18, 2019 - Yale Environment 360

Air Travel

French 'EcoTax' Targets Air Travel to Benefit Rail Network

The Minister for Transport called it "part of the answer to climate change" – charging air travelers a modest fee for international trips that originate in France and investing the revenue in greener alternatives such as rail transport.

July 18, 2019 - The Washington Post

Wildfire Season

Seattle Clean-Air Shelters to Provide Relief to Residents

Wildfires have caused the city’s air quality to plummet in recent years. The new shelters will give residents a break when the air is not fit to breathe.

July 16, 2019 - CityLab

Flooding

Moving People Out of Flood Zones Is a Win-Win Strategy

As the threat of flooding increases, buyout programs to relocate homeowners are a better alternative to rebuilding—for cities and residents.

July 16, 2019 - The New York Times

Tesla

Tesla’s Renewable Energy Vision—Big Benefits Without Major Lifestyle Changes

Tesla’s fancy cars generate much of the company’s revenue, while its solar energy products are decidedly less flashy.

July 16, 2019 - The Verge

Electric Car

Federal Lawmakers Target Electric Vehicles in Transportation Reauthorization

How will motorists who don't pay gas taxes fund road upkeep? That's one of the questions that the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee hopes to answer this summer as they work to reauthorize the FAST Act before it expires on Sept. 30, 2020.

July 15, 2019 - Route Fifty

Denver

Colorado's Greenhouse Gases are Going Down for the First Time in Its History

The state of Colorado is still a long way from reaching its 2050 commitment, but a move to more renewable energy has the state trending in the right direction.

July 15, 2019 - The Denver Post

Sprawl

Op-Ed: Lakewood's Growth Cap Is 'Climate Arson'

In a scathing response to arguments in favor of a "slow growth" ordinance in Lakewood, Colorado, Mike Eliason rebukes the idea that capping growth is a green policy.

July 15, 2019 - Medium

Denver Region

Denver Freeway Expansion Makes a Bad Situation Worse

The Interstate 70 expansion project is affecting air quality in surrounding neighborhoods, where chronic illness is prevalent and residents feel their health and safety have not been priorities.

July 13, 2019 - The Denver Post

Wine Country Fires

In California, Struggles Over Insurance Regulation in the Era of Climate Change

Setting insurance rates by looking to the past to predict the future doesn’t make sense with increasing environmental uncertainties, argues the California insurance industry.

July 13, 2019 - Voice of San Diego

London Crowded Street

Reducing Transportation Emissions in the United Kingdom to Net Zero by 2050

Late last month, the UK became the first country to commit to a legally-binding target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. A new academic research group recommends reduced auto ownership, regardless of how they are powered, to meet the target.

July 12, 2019 - BBC News

Extreme Weather

Funding Research of Atmospheric Rivers to Better Prepare for Heavy Rains

Atmospheric river seems like a phrase that has only recently entered the parlance of the times, but the state of California has seen enough of the idea in action want to know more, and prepare for more.

July 12, 2019 - Water News Network

Columbia River Gorge

King County Selling Carbon Credits to Fund Forest Preservation

Two companies so far have purchased carbon credits through the newly public program in Washington State's King County.

July 11, 2019 - KUOW

Charles River

Urban Rivers Everywhere Follow the Cuyahoga's Lead

On the 50th anniversary of the Cuyahoga River catching fire in Cleveland, it's a good time for urban river keepers everywhere to reevaluate their work and redouble their efforts to make safe and healthy rivers for everyone.

July 10, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Seattle Skyline from Kerry Park

A 'Green New Deal' for Seattle

The city of Seattle has taken the first steps toward creating a "Green New Deal." Now comes the hard part of deciding on specific policies.

July 10, 2019 - The Urbanist

Brooklyn Bridge Park

50 Years of 'Design With Nature'

Ian McHarg's groundbreaking book was published 50 years ago.

July 10, 2019 - WHYY

Rocky Mountain National Park

The Private Landowners of the West's Vast Open Spaces

Wealthy buyers are snapping up large parcels of land and imposing new rules. Residents say restricting access is not fair and the actions are affecting communities and their way of life.

July 9, 2019 - The New York Times

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.