Category: Environmental
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Miami in the Anthropocene
Book Review The concept of the Anthropocene—the epoch where human activity fundamentally altered Earth’s systems—has dramatically reshaped how we think about urban planning and design, particularly in cities facing existential climate threats like Miami. In Stephanie Wakefield’s book “Miami and the Anthropocene: Rising Seas and Urban Resilience,” she explores how different “imaginaries” of Miami’s future…
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Understanding Multisolving in Complex Systems
Multisolving is exactly as it sounds, its a way to solve multiple problems by approaching an issue with the understanding that it is part of a complex interconnected system. This method is discussed in detail by Elizabeth Sawin in her book Multisolving: Creating Systems Change in a Fractured World. What I love about her book…
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Accidental Ecosystems
Book Review Our urban spaces are teeming with life, though we often overlook it. This life isn’t merely human but encompasses an array of flora and fauna, insects and animals, all contributing to a vibrant and complex urban ecosystem. In one of my favorite podcast episodes this year, my co-host Jennifer and I talked with…
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Hawley Hamlets: A Nebraska Eco Village
Building a community around an urban food forests may seem like a European idea, but it is gaining interest here in the U.S. as well. With climate change becoming an imminent concern, some community members are investing in their own communities food security. One example is in the heart of one of the more dense…
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Urban Tree Benefits
This weekend I planted my third tree, but the first in the boulevard (space between the street and the sidewalk). I had been waiting to get this done, with busy schedules and a summer heat wave delaying the project. As a city planner I was well aware of boulevard or street tree programs which provided…
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The Eco District
Scaling down further from my last post on the ecocity, this article dives into the ecodistrict. The ecodistrict, a concept that started in Europe, is based on the idea of achieving greater sustainability impacts through a district scale approach. These districts focus on the relation of energy, transportation, water, and land use and the most…
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The Eco City
Similar to my last post on sustainable cities, an ecocity is one that strives for sustainability and a healthy environment for its citizens and is modeled after the structure and function of natural ecosystems. Cities that strive for this label provide transportation networks for all travelers (transit, bike, pedestrian, and cars), integrate greenspace into the…
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Utility Scale Solar: A Nebraska First
Located north of Interstate 80 just west of Lincoln on a dirt road is Nebraska’s first utility scale solar system. To be classified as utility scale a system has to produce at least 2 megawatts of power which is roughly enough to power between 300 and 420 homes. The system was the first of its…
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Regenerative Farming
This past week I watched two great documentaries that changed the way I think about farming. Having grown up in Nebraska and spent a lot of time driving around rural areas, my idea of farming was spring planting, fall harvest, cows brought in to graze the fields in the winter, then starting the cycle over.…
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Cultural Heritage’s Role in Climate Action
In the summer of 2019 the Climate Change and Heritage Working Group of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) released The Future of Our Pasts: Engaging cultural heritage in climate action. ICOMOS, a non-governmental international organization, is a leader in protecting monuments and sites making their recognition of the impact of climate change…
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The Planning Lady 