Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Boston Grant Program Supports Greener Affordable Housing
The city wants to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
California Adopts CEQA Reforms for Infrastructure, Leaves Out Residential
The state of California adopted reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pertaining to climate-friendly infrastructure projects, but residential development interests hoping for relief from CEQA will have to wait.
Landmark Climate Decision Rules in Favor of Montana Youth
The ruling in Held v. Montana is the first of its kind in the United States, according to reports.
California First in the Nation to Limit Embodied Carbon in Buildings
California’s Building Code accomplished a first-in-the-nation step to mitigate carbon emissions from the construction and maintenance of buildings, by limiting embodied carbon in some commercial and school buildings.
Infrastructure Bill’s Emission Reductions Allotments Fund Highway Projects Instead
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 promised to achieve major progress on emissions reductions and climate resilience. A total of 38 states used the bill to fund emissions- and pollution-producing car-centric infrastructure instead.
Offshore Wind Power Projects Face Financial Headwind
As offshore wind projects along the East Coast stall, so do the country’s emissions reduction goals.
Planning for Proximity, for the Climate’s Sake
A new global platform will help the world identify and encourage opportunities for more proximity in the built environment—development patterns that can help reduce sources of greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of pollution if built well.
‘Biourbanism’ Combines Nature and Data to Boost Resilience
The concept of biourbanism views cities as natural systems, but brings a data-driven approach to quantifying and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
HUD Announces Grants for Efficiency Retrofits in Multifamily Housing
A new program will fund solar panels, heat pumps, and other measures aimed at reducing emissions, improving air quality and resident health, and reducing heating and cooling costs.
Mitigating the Environmental Footprint of Sprawl
There is still time to reverse the environmental outcomes of American suburbs. Researchers in Los Angeles, considered by many to be the poster child for U.S. sprawl, have been at work on the problem for years.
I-95 Widening Breaks Ground in Virginia
A mile-and-a-half-long section of Interstate 95, which handles 80,000 vehicle trips a day, will be expanded in Virginia. The project includes a new shoulder, lighting, and noise walls.
Street Trees as Climate Resilience
An Austin-based urban designer explains how protecting and encouraging the planting of street trees will make the city more resilient to increasingly common extreme heat events, among many other benefits.
Hudson Valley City Bans Fossil Fuels in New Construction
Beacon will require all-electric appliances in new buildings starting next year.
IPCC Report: The World Is Running Out of Time on Climate Change
The planet is not doing enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a recent report published by the United Nations’ International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Alaska to Consider Carbon Offset and Sequestration Program
Alaska could follow in the footsteps of California and Europe by leveraging the state’s natural resources to create a carbon offset and sequestration program, mitigating the environmental effects of its industries and raising revenue for the state.
Why the Gas Stove Debate Misses the Point
Banning gas-powered appliances is one part of a broader toolkit of changes in building codes that could vastly improve efficiency.
U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Continue Post-Pandemic Rebound in 2022
Renewables generated more electricity than coal in 2022, according to preliminary estimates. Greenhouse gases still rose, however, due mostly to increased emissions from buildings.
Oregon to End Sales of Gas-Powered Vehicles by 2035
There must be something about having a coast on the Pacific Ocean that makes states set policies to accelerate the end of the internal combustion engine.
Causes and Effects of Widespread Data Center Development
While it’s unlikely to expect local and state governments to insist that data center developments locate somewhere else, specific policy steps can ensure a more positive impact for communities.
Paris to Ban Short-Haul Flights to Reduce Emissions
The country of France has been cleared by the European Union to ban specific air travel routes from the Orly Airport near Paris.
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
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.
