Planning Pool

Solar Panel by Flickr user futureatlas.com

There are lots of reasons why we don’t use more renewable energy, like solar or wind power. A huge reason is cost – often a system can take 10 to 15 years to payback from energy savings. Another factor is regulatory. Sometimes, zoning laws don’t allow solar power or adding photovoltaic panels may require a construction permit.

Portland is trying to make it easier for homeowners to add solar panels to their houses. While Portland may not be solar power mecca, the city boasts a number of renewable energy firms and has a strong commitment to sustainability, hoping to reduce its carbon footprint by 40 percent before 2030 and 80 percent reduction by 2050 (see Portland’s Climate Action Plan). So, the … Continue Reading

Finalists have been announced at the Reburbia Suburban Design Competition! Cast your vote for the best idea before midnight tomorrow (Monday, August 17).

Currently leading the vote count is Galina Tahchieva’s Urban Sprawl Repair Kit. It offers design solutions for integrating existing suburban prototypes like drive-through restaurants into a more diverse, cohesive and walkable urban fabric. The “T-trees Social Housing Project” has the second-greatest number of votes – it proposes nifty-looking modular towers topped with windmills that supporting prefabricated social housing units.

Meanwhile, an article in yesterday’s Edmonton Journal describes the fierce community resistance that stands in the way of proposals to modestly densify Edmonton’s older single-

Here’s an interesting article by Edward Glaeser and Matthew Kahn, economists well-known in the urban economics and environmental economics fields. They have found that Manhattan residents emit almost 4,500 pounds less of transportation-related carbon dioxide than suburban New York residents, making Manhattan one of the greenest places in America.
The data suggest a strong general pattern: households in dense urban areas have significantly lower carbon emissions than households in the suburbs.
Counter-intuitive, or does this really make sense?

Matthew Kahn also has an informative and interesting blog here. He also just posted a reader’s response to his and Glaeser’s article. The reader pointed out that cities rely heavily on imported goods, especially water, which is unsustainable. If you’re interested in water issues, you might like to check out the post here.

via www.dcexaminer.com >> Opinion.