• Climate adaptation, mitigation, and urban design

    Analyzing how community design can impact various phases of climate change response, both local and global.
    Urban planning and design are among the most effective tools in dealing with climate change, because they address both mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation is global in scale—it involves the reduction of carbon emissions that are linked to rising global temperatures. Communities can lower...Read more

  • Tree canopies make us safe; Here’s how to grow them throughout cities

    A few days ago, I explained how planting street trees adapts to and mitigates climate change. Trees also bestow health, safety, and economic benefits. In other words: they are a “wonder drug” for cities. Trees are low tech, and are adored across the political spectrum. They can be planted through...Read more

  • Street trees: A wonder of climate adaptation

    Street trees have many benefits, but their climate impact is becoming more important all the time.
    Urban trees are among the most powerful tools that designers can use to help communities both mitigate and adapt to climate change. Trees are like outdoor air conditioners that operate as carbon sinks. The cooling impact of a single healthy tree from evaporation and absorbing sunlight “is...Read more

  • How to prepare communities for climate change

    The Climate Planner offers a wealth of experience and advice for planners confronting climate change in community plans.
    “Think globally, act locally,” has been an environmental mantra for at least 30 years. For local communities, acting on climate change begins with a plan—which makes urban planners a linchpin in this issue. And yet planners may be averse to getting in the middle of another political hot-button...Read more