Environment
![Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy made landfall at 8pm ET on October 29, 2012 about 5 miles southwest of Atlantic City, NJ, as seen in this NOAA GOES-13 satellite colorized infrared image from the same time.](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/noaa-hurricane-sandy.jpg.webp?itok=WunYcy8K)
Jail the Planners for Not Preventing Sandy!
Ed Blakely indicts the planning profession for failing to protect our communities from the threat of a changing climate. How can we plan places that serve as bulwarks from the worst physical traumas, while providing economic and social resiliency?
![A line of cars wait at the drive-thru window of a starbucks.](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/Starbucks-Drive-Thru.jpeg.webp?itok=NOZDpcFu)
More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus
Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.
![Air pollution is visible in the air around high-rise buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh.](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/Dhaka-Bangladesh.jpeg.webp?itok=1w9el1n7)
Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says
Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.
![Edmonton, Canada](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_1144861982.jpg.webp?itok=JjwTrxfl)
Edmonton Considering Sprawl Control Measures
Under a proposed standard, developing neighborhoods in Edmonton would be required to fully build out infrastructure and community facilities, like retail and amenities, before the city approves additional development.
![Greece](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/Athens-Urbanization--8-torey-cale.jpg.webp?itok=xe4sC8K8)
New Park Space for an Old City
After 3,400 years, Athens will soon get its first large urban park. When completed in 2030, Ellinikon Metropolitan Park will be 600 acres (243 ha), about three-fourths the size of New York City’s Central Park, an enormous addition of green space.
![An aerial view of the South Side of Chicago, with Lake Michigan to the left in the distance.](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/Chicago-South-Side.jpeg.webp?itok=DMXxc0NM)
Historic Victory for Environmental Justice on Chicago’s South Side
The city of Chicago has agreed to take significant steps to remediate decades of discriminatory zoning and land use policies.
![The exterior of the U.S. Supreme Court, with an American flag flying above its large columns and white marble exterior.](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/US-Supreme-Court.jpg.webp?itok=PKLUE85w)
Supreme Court’s College Admissions Ruling Could Impact Environmental Justice Efforts
If rectifying racial injustice no longer passes constitutional muster, what chance does the environmental justice movement have?
![Blue and green playground equipment in Los Angeles with palm tree and mountains in background](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/AdobeStock_197681542.jpeg.webp?itok=8VXBkoo0)
Partnering with Schools to Expand Parks Access
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is partnering with over 560 schools to provide students access to the outdoors, nature education, and recreational programming.
![The tops of umbrellas for outdoor dining spaces are visible with large buildings in the background on a sunny day in the city of San Diego.](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/AdobeStock_380393093.jpeg.webp?itok=ChlzYYJL)
California Regulators Require Parking Replacement for Outdoor Dining Spaces
The city of San Diego’s Spaces as Places outdoor dining program includes a critical parking requirement mandated by the California Coastal Commission.
![View of empty paved schoolyard with green picnic benches and basketball hoops in Malibu, California](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/AdobeStock_501022426.jpeg.webp?itok=l-gLtZty)
Expanding Schoolyard Greening in California
To protect kids from extreme heat, California just distributed another $73 million to local school districts to transform schoolyards by converting blacktops to green spaces, planting trees, and other related efforts.
![White and red Caltrain commuter train](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/AdobeStock_395167281_Editorial_Use_Only.jpeg.webp?itok=CXeRiUBk)
Rail Electrification: Caltrain adds BEMUs to its EMU Order
Caltrain, the San Francisco-to-San Jose commuter railroad, plans to begin electrified operation next year on its 49-mile mainline. A 28-mile extension south to Gilroy would continue to be served by diesel trains, with one train powered by battery.
![Aerial view of Tempe, Arizona with mountains in background](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/AdobeStock_429656490.jpeg.webp?itok=D26Yn9X3)
‘Tempe Tomorrow’ Plans for Expected Population Growth
Tempe planners are preparing a General Plan update scheduled for voter approval in March 2024.
![Conceptual rendering of Rikers Island redevelopment as renewable energy facility](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%2011-49-44%20ARTICLE%20Green%20Future%20for%20Rikers.png.webp?itok=d6m2GusQ)
Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?
New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?
![View of Echo Park Lake at night with artesian fountain and illuminated swan paddle boats and Los Angeles skyline in background](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/AdobeStock_315216164.jpeg.webp?itok=FTEO8UiQ)
Recreational Programming Helps Communities to Thrive
Los Angeles County's popular and award-winning Parks After Dark program offers multiple important benefits, as documented in a recent UCLA study.
![Natural gas power plant with two tall smokestacks against blue and purple sunset sky](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/AdobeStock_159232424.jpeg.webp?itok=SSdtXU8_)
Energy Reliability Vs. the Environment
A controversial but unanimous vote by California officials last week to keep three older, coastal natural gas power plants operating beyond their termination dates shows that environmental protection takes a back seat to keeping the lights on.
![A pregnant woman holds hand with a man in an urban setting.](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/Pregnancy.jpeg.webp?itok=IrJ0sT5e)
Walkable Neighborhoods Connected to Healthier Pregnancies, Births
More evidence of the public health benefits of walkable neighborhoods.
![An electric vehicle is plugged into a charging station. A sticker reads “charge America” on the station.](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/Electric-Vehicle-Charging.jpeg.webp?itok=Ynl5m4s0)
Texas Planning a Statewide Electric Vehicle Charging Network
The Texas Department of Transportation has a plan to leverage federal infrastructure funding for electric vehicle charging stations throughout the state.
![View of park playground with palm trees in background](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_1910395255.jpg.webp?itok=1f1nxFTY)
Protecting Kids from Climate Change by Greening Schools
Los Angeles Unified School District is in the process of implementing a plan to ensure that at least 30 percent of all campuses include green spaces by 2035.
![Aerial view of farmland patchwork in Toronto, Ontario, Canada](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/AdobeStock_160342946.jpeg.webp?itok=7-Uouo-B)
Auditor: Toronto Greenbelt Changes Favored Developers
A series of hasty removals of land from the protected Greenbelt last year were pushed through without environmental or financial analysis.
![View of natural gas power plant with two tall smokestacks on Northern California coast](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/AdobeStock_86965690.jpeg.webp?itok=G02CQ4YJ)
Making Natural Gas Power Plants Cleaner
Carbon capture and storage has long been associated with coal-burning power plants. Calpine Corp. hopes to apply the controversial technology to existing natural gas power plants, beginning with a pilot project to start this month in the Bay Area.
Pagination
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
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