Environment
Growth Keeps Las Vegas Water Chief Busy
This report from NPR looks at the city of Las Vegas, the high value of water in the desert, and the water chief who is trying to control the growing city's consumption.
Zoning Loophole Eyes Backyards As Developable Brownfields
A zoning loophole classifying backyard gardens as brownfields has opened the door for developers in England to tear down homes and rebuild flats and apartments, eating up the equivalent of nearly 3,000 soccer fields in the next decade.
EPA And Cities Focus On Cleaning Up Water-Faring Vessels
Efforts are underway to 'green' ferries and other commercial ships -- which represent a major but largely ignored source of air pollution.
School Site Next To Freeway Decried As Hazardous
Plans for a new high school next to a busy freeway interchange in New Haven, Connecticut, call for sealed windows and air filtration systems, but community and environmental groups are calling the entire proposal unconscionable.
China's E-Waste Capital
The vast majority of the world's e-waste is processed in China, in towns like Guiyu.
Pigeons: Urban Terrorists?
Cities such as London, Hong Kong and Mumbai now prohibit feeding of pigeons -- but can it help to control the burgeoning urban population of the birds?
More U.S. Cities Make Kyoto Protocol Pledge
More than 500 American cities have signed on to voluntarily comply with the Kyoto Protocol, an international set of standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that the U.S. has repeatedly refused to sign.
River Levels In North Carolina At Record Lows In May, USGS Reports
Stream flows were low, particularly in the western part, even after rain at the end of the month.
Cities Take Action On Climate Change
While the federal government resists taking action on climate change, municipalities are implementing their own plans and guidelines to reduce energy consumption and the production of greenhouse gases.
Why Bush's New Direction On Global Warming Won't Work
The Kyoto Protocol is a "mess" but a free market approach could help fix its weaknesses.
Brazil's Controversial Amazon Dam Project
Critics warn $11 billion hydroelectric dam project could cause environmental damage while supporters point to economic and infrastructure benefits.
Rainforest Vs. Oil Reserves: Will Preservation Prevail?
With significant oil reserves in its rainforests and rampant poverty, Ecuador has a dilemma. The country's president is asking the international community to compensate the country for its plans to protect the rainforest by not drilling for the oil.
A Browner Shade of Green: The New Water Rules and the Next Chapter of Sprawl
Stormwater mitigation rules are supposed to help protect the environment, but the current regulations also end up encouraging sprawl over urban redevelopment.
The Price Of Cheap Energy: High Carbon Emissions
A state's carbon emissions is largely correlated with the source of its electricity -- the more coal power, the larger the carbon footprint, and the lower the electric rates.
Roof Tiles Make It Easier For Homeowners To Go Solar
New solar roof tiles allow eco-conscious and well-heeled homeowners to enjoy the benefits of low-cost energy without annoying their neighbors with traditional solar panels deemed unsightly by some communities.
Eco-City Plan Unveiled In Sydney
The new plan would transform Sydney's White Bay into an environmentally-friendly community designed to mitigate the city's ecological impact and combat global warming.
Sydney's Mayor: 'Environmental Crisis Looms Large'
The Lord Mayor of Sydney has used very blunt language to characterize the city's future, yet planning to counter anticipated problems is still in the early stages.
Transportation Expert Urges Napa To Support Higher Densities To Reduce Global Warming
Transportation expert Reid Ewing appeared in Napa to tout higher densities and mixed-use development. The county is updating it transportation plan and considering a second attempt to pass a transportation sales tax measure.
Brooklyn Bio-Diesel Plants Welcomed As Part Of City’s Sustainability Plan
Brooklyn, New York, has a long and soiled history when it comes to fuel production. Now comes plans for two more plants, but so far they are welcomed by the city and surrounding neighbors.
How A Landmark Book Launched The Environmental Movement
The author of one of the most controversial book of the 1960s, considered to be the mother of the modern environmental movement, was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.
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
