Environment
A Better Understanding of Smart Growth Benefits
Smart Growth creates compact, multimodal communities where residents consume less land, drive less, and rely more on non-auto modes. Planners have important stories to tell about the benefits of Smart Growth.
New Jersey Beach Town Gains State’s Highest Flood Management Rating
Sea Isle City, where homeowners once feared they would be unable to buy insurance due to poor flood management practices, is now leading the state in flood control planning.
Study: How EVs Perpetuate the Harms of Car Culture
While they emit less pollution, electric cars don’t solve many urgent issues like sprawl and fine particulate pollution.
Colorado River States Inch Closer to Agreement
Upper Basin and Lower Basin states each say their plan for conserving the Colorado River’s water is the most sustainable.
Carson to Host California Land Recycling Conference
In September 2024, the Center for Creative Land Recycling will hold its annual conference in Carson, California, offerings opportunities to learn about the reuse of underutilized and contaminated properties.
24 States Sue EPA Over New Soot Pollution Limit
The agency cites health risks of air pollution as reason for the new limit; states appear concerned it will kill their economies.
The Harms of a Car-Centric World
While most of the world’s population doesn’t drive, cars have an outsized negative impact on public health, the environment, and land use.
How To Make the Clean Water Act Work Better
A legal scholar suggests mechanisms for closing loopholes that limit the law’s effectiveness.
Study: Air Pollution Disproportionately Impacts Communities of Color
The negative effects of poor air quality occur at higher rates in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, according to new research.
San Joaquin Valley Struggles to Lower Emissions
The San Joaquin Valley has some of the worst air pollution and particulate matter emissions in the nation, but agricultural sources are loosely regulated.
EPA Releases Equity Action Plan
The agency is taking a more holistic approach to addressing environmental justice concerns.
Texas Faces Higher Wildfire Risks
Climate change is causing more destructive wildfires, prompting home insurers to reconsider coverage in the state.
New Waterfront Park Opens at the Port of Los Angeles
The $77.3 million new park offers unprecedented public access to the water’s edge for the Wilmington community where 18% of the total land area is taken up by oil refineries — almost 3.5 times more space than is dedicated to green space.
Urban Ag Activists Up In Arms About New Study
Researchers looked at the carbon footprint of urban farming versus conventional, and the results were surprising.
Los Angeles County Moves to Open Schoolyards to Public Uses
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors just approved a motion to extend and expand an agreement with the L.A. Unified School District for the use of recreational facilities at Walnut Park Elementary School.
California's Stormwater Potential
A new study reveals that if California could collect and treat more stormwater in cities, it could provide enough water to supply a quarter of the state’s urban population.
Climate Justice Advocate Named One of TIME's Women of the Year
Jacqueline Patterson has dedicated her career to intersectional approaches to systems change and social and environmental justice.
How Capturing Rainwater Can Make Cities Safer, More Resilient
Green infrastructure can help prevent flooding and replenish groundwater supplies, preventing subsidence that makes land sink.
Northeastern Waterways More Polluted After Wet Year
Intense rains washed more runoff into local bodies of water, while warmer temperatures contributed to the growth of an invasive bloom.
Washington State Requests Federal Funding for Tsunami Preparedness
The state’s Department of Natural Resources says it needs continued funding to map coastal areas at risk for tsunami impacts and prepare mitigation and evacuation plans.
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
