Environment

Polar Bear

New Research Finds Climate Change's Fingerprint Everywhere

From the smallest scale to the largest, climate change has left no stoned unturned in its initial impacts on the planet and its species. Stay tuned.

November 24, 2016 - Pacific Standard

Charles County, Maryland

Limitations on Rural Sprawl in Maryland Nixed

Changes in state law that rolls back regulations on septic systems could spark more residential sprawl in Maryland's rural areas.

November 23, 2016 - MyEasternShoreMD

Volkswagen

London's Mayor Wants VW To Pay $3 Million In Lost Congestion Charge Tolls

Since the U.K. government has done nothing to make Volkswagen pay for Dieselgate, Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, is asking VW to come up with 2.5 million pounds ($3 million) to compensate the city and its residents for the 80,000 diesel cars fitted

November 21, 2016 - Cities of the Future

Coal Railroad

Coal Train Lawsuit Settlement Leaves Unanswered Questions

A lawsuit in the state of Washington between environmentalists and BNSF Railway over the environmental impacts of coal trains has been settled out of court.

November 20, 2016 - Crosscut

Natural Gas

Researchers Discover Thousands of Abandoned Methane Wells in Pennsylvania

Methane wells are the dirty little secret of greenhouse gas emissions. A new study says they're a bigger problem than previously recognized in the state of Pennsylvania.

November 18, 2016 - State Impact

Dakota Access Protest

Following Study, Army Corps Needs More Study to Decide Dakota Access Route

As the protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline continue, so does the legal wrangling.

November 17, 2016 - KUOW

No Dumping

A Little Help Explaining the Stormwater Utility Concept

American Rivers has created a toolkit for implementing stormwater utilityies

November 17, 2016 - American Rivers

Sacramento

Yet More Data on the Value of Trees to the Built Environment

A new report from the Nature Conservancy provides evidence of trees as a crucial component of public-health infrastructure.

November 17, 2016 - Vox

The Future is Fiction

What will our cities look like in the year 2050?

November 17, 2016 - Doggerel

Urban Solar Power

How Cities Will Lead the Energy Future

Last month, politicians, energy executives, and energy experts met in Istanbul for the 23rd World Energy Congress. The event gives global leaders a chance to coordinate energy policy, discuss new ideas, and seek solutions to climate change

November 16, 2016 - Doggerel

Not My President

Trump Election Coverage Round Up (Planning Edition)

A compendium of the most discussed examples of news and commentary regarding the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States—but only what's directly relevant to the fields of planning and urban design.

November 15, 2016 - Planetizen

Maroon Creek, Aspen, Colorado

Doomsday Prepping: Aspen Protecting Water Against Future Shortages, Increased Demand

Aspen, Colorado's City Council has voted to preserve the city's water rights with an option to dam local waterways if climate change or population growth creates a shortage of water in the future.

November 15, 2016 - Boulder Weekly

Coal Mine

Coal's Future Still Unclear, Despite Trump's Campaigns Promises

It's only taken a week for the coal industry to get swept under the rug, to an extent, by Republican leadership in Washington, D.C.—not to mention their energy market competitors.

November 14, 2016 - CleanTechnica

Sequoia State Park

Study Detects a Slight Reprieve from the Effects of Climate Change

The Washington Post Reports a small bit of good news regarding climate change, produced on the same day as a large heap of bad news regarding climate change.

November 13, 2016 - The Washington Post

House

Evaluating California's 'Cash-for-Lawns' Rebate

At the height of the California drought, a group of water suppliers offered rebates for people willing to remove lawns. Now, it's time to figure out if the experiment worked.

November 10, 2016 - AP via San Jose Mercury News

Methane

How Environment and Energy Ballot Measures Fared in Tuesday's Election

More than the president was decided. Results are in on a Washington carbon tax, a California plastic bag ban, a Sunshine State restriction on solar panels, and on a ban on oil drilling in a California county that actually has oil drilling.

November 10, 2016 - Planetizen

Vietnam Bridge

Report: Emerging Markets Offer $23 Trillion in Climate Investment Opportunities

Many countries have rolled out climate policies since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in December 2015. A new report gathers data on the capital investments that will drive the construction of all that new infrastructure.

November 9, 2016 - International Finance Corporation

Levee

Louisiana Finds Surprising Success in Fight Against Land Loss

Thirty years following the start of a project designed to build back land that was slowly being lost to the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana is celebrating a rare success.

November 8, 2016 - New Orleans Times-Picayune

Waco Suspension Bridge

Waco, Texas Region Needs a New Water Plan

Communities in McClennan County, Texas, are working together to plan for a new water supply infrastructure that relies less on groundwater from the depleted Trinity Aquifer.

November 7, 2016 - The Architect's Newspaper

Rocky Mountain National Park

How to Plan for an Uncertain Climate Future

Creating adaptive, sustainable communities may require rethinking some planning basics.

November 7, 2016 - Denver Business Journal

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.