Environment

Washington State

Friday Funny: The Onion Gets Weird With Climate Politics

We really didn't see this one coming.

May 17, 2019 - The Onion

Governors Island

Proposal for the Future of New York's Governors Island

The island's 40-acre park is a recreational destination, but waterfront advocates would like to see more use of Governor Island's shoreline and maritime infrastructure.

May 15, 2019 - Crain's New York Business

Washington State

A Surprising Place for Climate Relocation: Washington State

The city of Hamilton in Skagit County, Washington showcases another kind of community at risk from the effects of climate change and considering relocation to higher ground.

May 14, 2019 - The Seattle Times

Landscape near the Craters of the Moon in South Central Idaho

The Noisiest Places Are Found Far From the City

Humans can't always hear the sound, but there is plenty of noise in what we think of quiet corners of the United States.

May 14, 2019 - FiveThirtyEight

Urban Pollution

Zoning’s New Role in Environmental Justice

Long used to promote inequality, zoning and land use are now helping to keep vulnerable communities safer and cleaner.

May 13, 2019 - CityLab

High Falls, Genesee River

Planning for Future Cities Today With Urban Nexus Science

The Urban Nexus is an approach to sustainability that seeks to integrate sectors and silos int he design and development process.

May 12, 2019 - Kayla Matthews

Arizona

'Green' Houses Come Up Well Short in Phoenix

City inspectors and federal regulators will not be favorably portrayed in this story.

May 11, 2019 - Phoenix New Times

Robert Moses Field 4 Deserted Beach

New Hurricane Protections Leave New Yorkers Wanting More

"Glorified sandbags," costing $3 million, will be installed in New York City.

May 9, 2019 - CBS New York

Volunteers

New Resilience Center to Replace 100 Resilient Cities

The new Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center will build on the earlier work of the 100 Resilient Cities program.

May 8, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Colorado

Connecting Plans to the Water Supply

The city of Westminster, Colorado has grown from 10,000 in 1962 to 113,000 in the present day, ensuring water supply for the growing population by considering water efficiency in every zoning decision.

May 7, 2019 - CityLab

The Rockaway Beach Boardwalk

Zoning Reform for Coastal Resilience in New York City

The New York City Department of City Planning has released a large set of recommendations for zoning changes designed to help the city's many coastal areas weather the inevitable extreme weather events of climate change and sea level rise.

May 7, 2019 - NYC Planning

Flooded Chicago River

Bolstering Urban Resilience in Chicago

The city’s resilience plan seeks to identify shocks and stresses while fostering equity and community.

May 6, 2019 - Next City

Bay Area Wetlands

A New Plan for Sea Level Rise in the San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay has 400 miles of shoreline, and a dire need for a new approach to dealing with the effects of rising water levels. An estimated $100 billion in potential property damage is at risk.

May 5, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Texas Capitol Building

Proposed Bills Would Protect Funding for Texas State Parks

When lean times hit, money for state parks is some of the first to get diverted to other purposes. A package of legislation proposed in the Texas State legislature would change that.

May 4, 2019 - Houston Chronicle

Western Wisconsin

Dam Removal Movement Gains Ground in Wisconsin

More cities are reclaiming a natural, free flowing river as a resource for quality of life and economic development.

May 4, 2019 - Pioneer Press

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Community Solar, an Alternative Energy Win-Win

Across the country, community solar is taking off and making the financial and environmental benefits of solar energy more accessible.

May 3, 2019 - Curbed New York

Oakland Coliseum

The Least Popular Planning Articles of 2019

An unscientific dip into Planetizen traffic data for the first three months of 2019 reveals the planning stories readers couldn't care less about.

April 30, 2019 - James Brasuell

California State Capital

California's Most Controversial Housing Bill Advances with Amendments

Senate Bill 50, by Scott Wiener, advanced on two fronts last week: On Wednesday, it passed easily out of its first committee with new "Minneapolis-style" amendments. On Sunday, it received a New York Times editorial endorsement.

April 30, 2019 - CALmatters

Issaquah Alps

Public Input to Help Plan New Nature Trails

Reno officials hope to protect public green space in the Truckee Meadows before potential new development arrives.

April 29, 2019 - Reno Gazette Journal

Air Travel

'State of the Air Report' Finds More Cities With Worsening Pollution

The American Ling Association released its "State of the Air" report last week, finding that ozone and short-term particle pollution worsened in many cities in 2015-2017, compared to 2014-2016.

April 29, 2019 - Quartz

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.