Pollution
Toxic Suburbia
A 50-acre section of the Los Angeles suburb of Carson is contaminated with methane gas and benzene. Owners of the 285 homes in the area are left with few options.
Fertilizers Banned in Polluted Florida County
Certain fertilizers will be banned from use during summer months and rainy times of the year in Pinellas County, Florida after a recent ruling by the County Commission.
New Non-Salt Strategies for Snowy Cities
Winter brings snowy conditions to roads in many cities, and many react with snow-melting salt solutions. But the physical and environmental damage of salt is leading some to look for other means of fighting the freeze.
Water Standards Out of Touch With Reality
American drinking water meets federal safety standards, but some say it's only because those standards are far too low and don't accurately reflect the potential for contamination.
New York Tries to Dodge Superfund Status for Canal
New York City's Gowanus Canal has been heavily polluted for years. Mayor Bloomberg said the cleanup would happen, but it never did. Now the EPA is calling the troubled waterway a Superfund site and the city is kickstarting action.
The Most Polluted Metro Areas in America
Atlanta tops a list of the most polluted cities in the country, according to an analysis of EPA data by Forbes.
Deadly Water Going By Unregulated
This investigation from The New York Times examines water pollution records from across the country and finds more than half a million violations that are causing deadly pollution to local water resources.
"Polluted and Dangerous" Abandoned Properties
Tufts urban planning professor Justin Hollander appeared on C-SPAN's Washington Journal to answer questions about his new book, Polluted & Dangerous: America's Worst Abandoned Properties and What Can Be Done About Them.
Creating a 'Carbon-Positive' City
Mayor Yu Qun has transformed the city of Baoding, China into what some are calling the world's first "carbon-positive" city -- mainly by shifting away from polluting industries to the renewable energy industry.
Worst Water Contamination Coverups in U.S. History
Contaminated water is bad news for cities, unless nobody knows about it. This post from Good looks at some of the most notorious water contamination cover ups in recent U.S. history.
Soaking Up Runoff For a Greener Street
The city of Santa Monica has just unveiled its first segment of green street, one where rainwater runoff seeps into porous pavement and landscaping.
More Americans Have Green Jobs
Wired Science reports that there are now 770,000 green jobs among 62,800 businesses in the U.S., which makes up 3.7 percent of the overall job market.
Economic Benefits of Urban Creek Cleaning
Restorationists and environmentalists are placing their focus on urban streams and creeks, which struggle with urban pollution. Working to clean them up is turning out to be a good way to create jobs and stimulate the local economy.
Congestion, Pollution and Freeways
A common argument in favor of building sprawl-generating roads and highways is that if we just pave over enough of the United States, we can actually reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions by reducing congestion. For example, a Reason Foundation press release cited a report by two University of California/Riverside engineering professors, “Real-World CO2 Impact of Traffic Congestion” (available online at http://www.cert.ucr.edu/research/pubs/TRB-08-2860-revised.pdf ). But if you read the report carefully, its policy impact is a bit more ambiguous.
Beijing's Olympic Pollution Efforts Fall Short
Despite efforts to clean up Beijing during last year's Olympic Games, pollutant reductions were very minor, according to a new report.
Studying the Health Effects of Living Near Freeways
Researchers are teaming up with Boston community members to study how living close to freeways can be harmful to residents' health.
Beijing Extends Car Restrictions
A slightly watered-down version of the traffic reduction methods the Chinese city of Beijing instituted in Summer 2008 to reduce congestion and pollution during the Olympics has been extended for another year.
China Starts to Lean Green
Environmental issues are becoming a growing concern in China, and officials there seem ready to begin addressing them.
Rich Waste, Poor Waste
This piece from The Economist looks at human-caused waste, how different economies generate it differently, and how they deal with it.
EPA Failing to Control Urban Runoff
The Environmental Protection Agency has not done enough to control pollution from stormwater runoff in urban areas, according to a report from the National Academy of Sciences.
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
