Utah

University of Arizona

Coronavirus Wastewater Testing Yields Positive Results at Universities

Wastewater testing is being hailed as a success at the University of Arizona, credited for stopping a COVID outbreak. In Utah, wastewater analysis forced almost 300 students to quarantine for four days while awaiting their test results.

September 1, 2020 - The Arizona Republic

Salt Lake City

20 Years Later: Envision Utah's Quality Growth Strategy Deemed a Massive Success

The state of Utah created Envision Utah in the late 1990s to address growth while maintaining quality of life and protecting the environment in the state. The plan set goals for 2020, so it's time to evaluate its success.

July 16, 2020 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Scottsdale, Arizona

Lower Colorado River States Used Less Water in 2019 Than Any Year Since 1986

The states drawing water from the Colorado River's lower basin—California, Arizona, and Nevada—used less water from the river in 2019 than any year since the mid-1980s.

June 22, 2020 - Circle of Blue

Woodburn, Oregon

What's So Special About Oregon and Utah?

These two Western states did something that none of the 20 other states in the nation going the wrong way in the pandemic have yet to do: they paused their reopening plans due to rising coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.

June 15, 2020 - Politico

Glen Canyon Dam

Environmental Impact Statement for Lake Powell-to-Utah Water Pipeline Released

Paiute Indians in Arizona oppose a plan to pipe Colorado River water from Lake Powell in Arizona to St. George in Utah, according to documents released by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

June 12, 2020 - The Salt Lake Tribune

U.S. Department of the Interior

Water Supply Inadequacies Tied to Coronavirus Infection in the Navajo Nation

On May 24, the Navajo Nation had 4,658 reported cases and 165 deaths in a population of 173,000—more even than New York City—while local organizers scrambled to find the water to cover the need during the pandemic.

June 3, 2020 - Outside

Utah

Criticism for Plans for Massive Inland Port Plan Near the Great Salt Lake

The Utah Inland Port Authority has moved forward quickly with a plan to build a massive inland port complex, despite the objections of local officials in Salt Lake City.

April 29, 2020 - High Country News

Coal Railroad

Mountain Coal States vs. West Coast Cities

A legal battle is being waged between the coal-exporting states of Utah, Wyoming, and Montana and coastal cities in California, Oregon, and Washington that pits the power of local land-use authority against the protection of interstate commerce.

March 16, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Tropic, Utah

Utah Officials Want to Replace the State Gas Tax

The state auditor and the transportation chief argue that the gas tax is an unsustainable funding source caused by a projected increase in electric vehicle adoption and an increase in fuel efficiency of gas-powered vehicles.

March 3, 2020 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Eden Utah

'TED Meets Burning Man' at Summit Powder Mountain

Developers of a ski town in Utah are expanding the weekend tech conference into a village with permanent residents.

January 12, 2020 - The Architect's Newspaper

Greensboro Station on Metro's Silver line near Tyson's Corner

5 Transit Projects to Watch in the D.C. Region in 2020

Light rail, bus rapid transit, subway cell service, and more.

December 26, 2019 - WAMU

Green Hydrogen, Plus Storage, Key to Los Angeles' Plan for Carbon-Free Electricity

The Los Angeles municipal utility will convert a Utah coal power plant to run on natural gas in 2025. According to a proposal unveiled Dec. 10, the plant will incrementally be converted to run entirely on hydrogen, a zero-emission fuel, by 2045.

December 22, 2019 - Utility Dive

Utah

Great Salt Lake, Shrinking From Water Diversions for New Development, Spreads Dust Around Utah

New research is quantifying the environmental consequences of land use patterns and water diversions in Northern Utah.

December 12, 2019 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Boise Idaho

Development Backlash Follows Population and Job Growth in Western States

As housing prices rise all over the country, quickly growing states like Colorado, Idaho, and Utah are transforming in ways some residents didn't anticipate or desire. Such circumstances are a breeding ground for anti-development politics.

December 11, 2019 - Pew Stateline

Pedestrian Signal

Where Enforcement of Jaywalking Equals Criminalization of Homelessness

Records in Salt Lake City show that police in Salt Lake City concentrate jaywalking enforcement in the corner of the city that houses most of the city's homeless services.

December 2, 2019 - The Salt Lake City Tribune

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Advocacy to Protect Borderlands Areas Lagging

Construction of a border wall would have grave social and environmental consequences, but retailers with clout are not stepping up as they have when other places have been threatened.

November 5, 2019 - High Country News

Salt Lake City, Utah

Survey Says: Fear of Cars Drives Scooter Riders to Sidewalks

An email survey of scooter riders in Salt Lake City would seem to make the case for more robust investment in high-quality active transportation infrastructure.

October 17, 2019 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Op-Ed: Feds 'Obsessed' with Undermining National Monument

Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is under severe assault from the Trump administration, Stephen Trimble writes. Long the focus of preservation efforts, the protected land is being opened up for extractive uses.

September 29, 2019 - The Hill

Colorado River

Changes for Big Pipeline Project to Connect Utah to the Colorado River

A hugely significant water and power infrastructure project in the works in Utah is now only a water project.

September 28, 2019 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Las Vegas strip

Nevada to Embark on 7-Year Program to Record Mileage of Motorists

Nevada is one of 15 states in the Western Road Usage Charge Consortium that are considering a transition from funding their transportation budgets largely by taxing the gallons of fuel that vehicles burn to charging drivers for miles driven.

August 30, 2019 - Route Fifty

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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