Climate Change

The Biggest Highway Boondoggles in the United States
Frontier Group and U.S. PIRG have released the fifth edition of its Highway Boondoggles report.

Report Details the Many Risks of Climate Change Facing Queens
The Regional Plan Association recently released a report targeting the climate risks associated with the older housing stock in Central Queens, New York City.

Watch: Sea Walls and the Future of Resilience
Vox and Curbed provide multi-media coverage of a Staten Island sea wall project as an example of the necessity of resilient infrastructure, and the shortcomings of our ability to predict the needs of the built environments in changed climates.

A Sustainability Plan for Georgia's Most Populous County
Fulton County, Georgia, home to Atlanta, adopted the "2019 Sustainability Plan + Resilience" earlier this month, focused on addressing the effects of climate change.

The Case for Upzoning
The parallel crises of pollution and housing affordability require denser zoning of land uses, otherwise known as upzoning, according to this article.

Expanded Solar Capacity Means Supply Exceeds Demand for Solar in California
California is setting records for the amount of solar energy it can’t use, but this cushion might be a good thing: it means the state won’t need to depend as heavily on fossil fuels as a stopgap.

The Generational Warfare of Our Times
If action isn’t taken to address the major issues the nation faces today, younger people will be contending with a lifetime of hardship. But older generations seem mostly to be looking the other way.

Visualizing Worst-Case Scenario Sea Level Rise on the Texas Coast
Much of the state political leadership in Texas has been slow to accept the existence of climate change, much less the role of the state's economy, land use, and infrastructure planning in exacerbating the crisis. Maybe this will help wake them up?

A New Resilience Strategy for Toronto
Toronto is preparing for the worst of climate change, but also the stresses of affordability, congestion, and aging infrastructure.

Living Shorelines for Storm and Flood Protection
More coastal cities and communities are turning to the "soft" solutions of living shorelines—relying on "a combination of oyster reefs, oyster shells, rocks, marsh plants, and other natural materials can be an effective alternative to seawalls."

The Federal Agency With Surprising Power to Impact Climate Change Policy
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) flies under the radar, but it makes some of the most consequential decisions about the federal government's approach to climate change.

The Uncertain Flood Zone
Communities need accurate maps and more access to data to increase flood resilience—but right now FEMA's not providing that.

Friday Funny: The Onion Gets Weird With Climate Politics
We really didn't see this one coming.

Flooding Less of a Concern as Hurricane Memories Fade
Residents of Houston are less likely to think of flooding as a concern, or to think development should be prohibited in flood-prone areas, as in the years immediately following Hurricane Harvey.

A Surprising Place for Climate Relocation: Washington State
The city of Hamilton in Skagit County, Washington showcases another kind of community at risk from the effects of climate change and considering relocation to higher ground.

Op-Ed: FEMA Failing to Respond to Housing Displacement After Disasters
With President Trump in Florida, Diane Yentel writes about the many people there still living without shelter after Hurricane Michael last year.

Zoning Reform for Coastal Resilience in New York City
The New York City Department of City Planning has released a large set of recommendations for zoning changes designed to help the city's many coastal areas weather the inevitable extreme weather events of climate change and sea level rise.

A New Plan for Sea Level Rise in the San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay has 400 miles of shoreline, and a dire need for a new approach to dealing with the effects of rising water levels. An estimated $100 billion in potential property damage is at risk.

Unequal Distribution of Shade Is Environmental Injustice
A longread, written by Sam Boch and published by Places Journal, has been creating a stir online and is highly recommended for those with an interest in intersections between social justice and urban design.

Watch: What it Takes to Retrofit Suburbia
June Williamson explains the necessary components of the next generation of the suburban retrofitting project, and why these actions are so necessary.
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