Environment
A Year After Harvey, Homes Still Going Up on Houston Flood Plain
Despite the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey, builders and buyers alike are sustaining a market for new construction on land likely to get flooded again.
To Incentivize Clean Energy, California Commits $800 Million
Recently signed by Governor Jerry Brown, a new measure has increased the funds California sets aside to incentivize energy storage systems to over $1 billion.
Fate of Brooklyn Heights Promenade Tethered to BQE Repair
The Brooklyn Heights Promenade will be closed as the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway below it is replaced. A Brownstoner column celebrates the esplanade's 68th birthday on Oct. 7, noting its troubled past and connection to Robert Moses.
California Doubles Carbon Intensity Reduction Requirement for Transportation Fuels
California regulators have found that transportation emissions are the most difficult to reduce, unlike those from electricity generation. The state just took a major step by approving significant changes to its Low Carbon Fuel Standard program.
Keeping Our Cool: Extreme Heat in the Twin Cities Region
A report discusses how rising temperatures affect the Twin Cities metropolitan area, and how those effects can be mitigated.
Petrochemical Industry to Drive Major Growth in Oil Demand
A new report from the International Energy Association projects that petrochemicals will be the largest driver of oil consumption, greatly increasing greenhouse gas emissions and offsetting the effect of electric vehicles on oil demand.
City's Opposition to BART TOD Bill Factors into City Manager's Retirement
Steven Falk, city manager for 22 years of the East Bay enclave of Lafayette, expressed frustration with the city's resistance to infill development, calling it incompatible with addressing "the most significant challenges of our time."
Op-Ed: Portland Should Fully Commit to Earthquake Preparedness
An editorial calls for Portland, Oregon to approve a requirement that warning signs be placed on unreinforced historic buildings. An argument is made for further measures, and a greater sense of urgency.
Washington Says Seven-Degree Increase Is Coming, Doesn’t Outline Solutions
A federal evaluation of fuel-efficiency standards says that while drastic climate change is imminent, there is little reason to do anything about it.
When the Earth Turns to Liquid
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Sept. 25, followed by a massive tsunami. Soil liquefaction caused by the tremor resulted in 1,700 homes being "swallowed" as the soil shifted. Deaths exceeded 1,400 on Oct. 3.
Shift in Direction of New York Resiliency Project Raises Questions
After delays and a groundbreaking that still has not happened, proposed changes to New York’s big resiliency project have not been well received.
$900 Million to Builds Dozens of Wildlife Crossings Over I-90 in Washington
A massive project to build safe passages for wildlife over Interstate 90 in Washington State is a major win for environmental groups who have been advocating for the project for over a decade.
Volvo to Sell All-Electric Heavy Trucks in North America in 2020
Volvo gained attention last year by announcing it would stop making new internal combustion engine models. Now it plans to electrify its 2020 truck models as well. A demonstration program will be launched in Southern California next year.
More Diesel Driving Bans Coming to German Cities
Germany's automotive industry and Chancellor Angela Merkel are increasingly worried about the economic effects of court-sanctioned diesel driving bans to improve air quality, as enacted in Hamburg last May. Four more cities are likely to enact bans.
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Case Threatening the California Coastal Act
A conservative and partisan court handed a victory to public access and California's environmental law by refusing to hear an appeal sought by billionaire Vinod Khosla.
Art to Inspire Climate Action
The Coal+Ice exhibition was on view in San Francisco in September 2018, timed to leverage Governor Jerry Brown’s Global Climate Action Summit.
Can New Leadership Deliver New Stormwater and Sewer Systems in New Orleans?
The new head of the Sewage & Water Board of New Orleans comes to the job from Milwaukee, and he already has big ideas about what the city must do to prevent flooding like it experienced last summer.
Shasta Dam Expansion Explorations Underway
Raising the height of the Shasta Dam in Northern California has been on the table since the 1980s. Now it looks like the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation is going through with it.
Court Reinstates Coastal Commission's Decision on San Diego Harbor Island Project
A long-running legal battle over proposed hotel developments in San Diego appears to have come to an end.
A Thriving Dallas Farm Feeds and Educates Year Round
A hydroponic farm on the grounds of the Texas State Fair helps residents in the food deserts of South Dallas.
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
