Environment
El Paso's Smart Water Management
Despite a growing population and limited amounts of rainfall, the city of El Paso, Texas, has been able to effectively manage its water supplies -- and reduce use.
The BP Cleanup and Environmental Justice
In the aftermath of the BP Gulf cleanup, tons of toxic oil waste are being sent to municipal landfills near communities with majority low-income and people of color populations.
A City on the Pacific Garbage Patch?
Dutch conservationists are proposing to create a floating community built on top of the patch of garbage swirling out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
San Francisco Bike Plan Ban Lifted
A 4-year legal battle over whether SF's bike plan was in compliance with the state's environmental law has been settled - the city has the go-ahead to resume planning and implementing new bike facilities designed to increase bike riding.
214% More Farmers Markets
The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture says that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of farmers markets in the United States, with a 214% increase since 2000.
Is Water Control Out of Control in SoCal?
Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay, says that the Los Angeles Regional Water Control Board is the least environmentally friendly board in decades.
Texas Company To Export Alaskan Water to India
Within 6 to 8 months, Texas-based S2C Global Systems will begin exporting pure Alaskan mountain water all the way to India. The water will then be distributed via tanker to markets in south and west Asia and the Middle East.
Rem Koolhaas Produces Plan To Run Europe On Shared Renewable Energy
OMA proposes to redesign a whole continent along energy saving lines. Called Roadmap 2050, it is a plan that "combines the belief that drastic intervention is required to mitigate climate change, with a desire to give meaning and power to the E.U."
Artificial Trees Could Be Climate Key
Carbon dioxide is one of the most widespread greenhouse gases produced by humans. Trees can absorb it, but release it when they die. Scientists are looking to build artificial trees to do the job permanently.
Dam Raises Questions About Habitat Restoration and Destruction
This feature from Miller-McCune looks at the debate over a dam near Stanford University, and whether it should be removed to restore the ecosystem the area once housed, or maintained to protect the ecosystem that it spawned.
Rethinking New Orleans' Levees
Three design firms offer new ideas for redesigning New Orleans' levees.
Garden of Eden Site Being Restored
A marsh in Iraq drained by Saddam Hussein and believed by some to be the site of the Garden of Eden is being restored -- despite dangerous risks.
Oil Spill in Michigan Raises Questions About Regulation
The U.S. Department of Transportation issued repeat warnings to Enbridge Energy Partners, owner of a pipe that leaked an estimated 1 million gallons of oil into southwest Michigan's Kalamazoo River, to address the safety of its system.
Will President Obama's E.V. Tax Credits Only Subsidise The Rich?
At $41,000 the new Chevrolet Volt is a "rich man's ride." Charles Lane asks why is President Obama offering federal tax credits of $7,500 to help better-off American's buy expensive cars?
The Neighborhood Carbon Challenge
A neighborhood in Corvallis, Oregon, is the pilot site of a neighborhood-wide "carbon challenge" in which residents try to reduce their carbon footprint.
Seattle Could Ban New Houseboats
The city has hundreds of houseboats on its waterways, but new shoreline regulations could prohibit any new houseboats.
New Jersey's Forests Disappearing
A new study shows that the amount of urban development in New Jersey now outnumbers the state's forest acreage.
Solar Power Gains Cost Advantage Over Nuclear
Diana Powers reports that the cost of solar photovoltaic panels has declined "to the point where they are lower than the rising projected costs of new nuclear plants, according to a paper published this month."
The Double O's Were the Hottest Years on Record
A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Report published on Wednesday found that the last decade has been the hottest on record, and clearly points to the conclusion that our planet is warming.
The Government Greens Its Real Estate
The Public Buildings Service, which is responsible for charging and collecting rent on 9,600 public buildings across the 50 states, has been asked to go green by retrofitting and smartening its aging buildings.
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
