Environment

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

A Little Help Explaining the Stormwater Utility Concept
American Rivers has created a toolkit for implementing stormwater utilityies

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.
The Future is Fiction
What will our cities look like in the year 2050?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How to Plan for an Uncertain Climate Future
Creating adaptive, sustainable communities may require rethinking some planning basics.
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