Alberta

What Can Fort McMurray Learn from Greensburg, Kansas?

Rebuilding after a major disaster offers a unique opportunity for a community to step back and ask how it wants to build.

May 18, 2016 - Treehugger

Fort McMurray Fire

Documenting the Trail of the Huge Fire in Canada

An unusually large and hot fire has struck Alberta, Canada at an unusually early time of year. According to researchers, this is the new normal.

May 12, 2016 - National Geographic

Connecting Budgets to Visions for More Livable Cities

Brent Toderian barnstormed Edmonton, Canada recently, giving the city an A+ for policy aspirations and a D- in budgetary prioritization. That sounds like a problem in many other cities as well.

March 2, 2016 - Edmonton Journal

Calgary Suburbs

Calgary Ends the 'Sprawl Subsidy'

An op-ed by the mayor of Calgary, Canada celebrates the adoption of a new off-site levy that will change the financing formula for new development and the necessary infrastructure that comes with it.

January 19, 2016 - Calgary Herald

What to Expect from Canada's New Prime Minster Justin Trudeau on Climate Change

Canada's recent change to a Liberal government means Stephen Harper's legacy in oil gas is at risk. Change is coming.

November 27, 2015 - Globe and Mail

Alberta Announces Landmark Climate Protection Strategy

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley announced a transformative three-pronged climate protection plan on November 22 that will cap greenhouse gas emissions from oil sands development, add a carbon tax, and phase-out coal power plants.

November 25, 2015 - CTV

TransCanada Hits the 'Pause Button' on Keystone XL Application

TransCanada, developer of the controversial 1,179-mile pipeline that would transport crude derived from oils sands in Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska, asked the State Department to hold-off processing its application for the seven-year-old project.

November 4, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Alberta Oil Sands

Shell Gives Another Early Christmas Gift to Environmentalists

Shell Oil surprised the environmental community in September by announcing an end to Arctic drilling. What could come next? Shell is abandoning plans for the Carmon Creek oil-sands project in Alberta and taking a $2 billion write-down.

November 2, 2015 - Bloomberg News

A Systems Approach to Planning and Urban Revitalization in Edmonton, Canada

The city of Edmonton’s comprehensive planning strategies aim for an "innovation ecosystem" that can compete with cities yet to be built.

July 17, 2015 - The Planning Report

Ontario to Join Quebec in Cap-and-Trade Program

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne made a strong case for taking decisive climate change action when she signed an historic agreement to join the Quebec program that trades carbon with California.

April 17, 2015 - The Globe and Mail

Cause of Crude-by-Rail Explosions Identified

The Wall Street Journal's senior energy reporter, Russell Gold, is interviewed on NPR about the February 16 derailment and explosion in West Virginia of an oil-train hauling 109 tanker cars of Bakken crude from North Dakota.

March 6, 2015 - NPR

Photo of Calgary skyline from Edworthy Park

Oil Town Feels the Pinch

The rise of shale oil in Alberta over the past decade has made Calgary one of the most vibrant cities on the continent. But with oil slumping around $50 per barrel, the fortunes of an industry town look less rosy.

February 28, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal

After Keystone Delay, Enviros Challenge Other Pipelines

After successfully stalling the Keystone XL pipeline that would transport tar sands crude from Alberta to Gulf area refineries, environmental activists are targeting other proposed pipelines, although the result may be more crude-by-rail shipments.

December 15, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Photo of Calgary skyline from Edworthy Park

Calgary: Model of Transit and Automobile Planning Success

Yonah Freemark writes about the remarkable success of the boomtown of Calgary, Alberta—a city described as "a lot more like Dallas or Phoenix than Copenhagen."

December 11, 2014 - the transport politic

Explained: America's Complex System of Oil Transportation

A new analysis by Joseph Kane, Robert Puentes, and Adie Tomer examines America's current infrastructure of transporting oil throughout the country.

December 5, 2014 - Brookings Institution

If Keystone Bill Becomes Law, Would it be Built?

It's not a foregone conclusion that President Obama would veto a bill expected in the Senate next week to allow the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. But if it were to pass and Obama signs it, would it be built? CNBC investigates.

November 15, 2014 - CNBC

Edmonton High Level Bridge

Great Debate: Transit Ridership vs Transit Coverage

While so many cities struggle to overcome irrational and uninformed opinions in debates about transportation systems, Edmonton is in the midst of a conversation with good questions and no right or wrong answers.

September 29, 2014 - Human Transit

irrigation

What Urban Planners Fail to Grasp in Climate Action Plans

Climate mitigation and adaptation have become de rigeur aspects of urban planning for most cities, according to results from MIT's international Urban Climate Change Governance Survey. What's missing in most plans is the link to economic development.

June 5, 2014 - MIT News

Collective Bike Rides Tell a New Story about Justice on the Streets

Stephen Snell explains how bike-riding collectives change the story about the use of public space.

June 4, 2014 - Fast Forward Weekly

After Five-Year Wait, Keystone XL Builder Exploring Rail Options

Keystone XL pipeline builder TransCanada is in the business of transporting oil to its customers, preferably by pipelines, but it's CEO has stated for the first time it will turn to "more costly and and controversial rail" to fill the pipeline gap.

May 26, 2014 - Reuters

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.