Each Friday, the Wagner Planner editorial board will publish a news roundup of recent planning news. Topics range the gamut of urban planning concentrations, but will mostly be at the discretion of the editor.

 

The Election Outcome Will Make Sweeping Climate Action Harder

“Heat is killing more people in the U.S. than floods and hurricanes combined, and the numbers are still seriously deflated. We also know that, in the U.S., heat disproportionately affects low-income and Black and brown communities. They were (arguably still are) victim to racist urban-planning policies that have left them especially susceptible to the urban heat-island effect. Low-income areas tend to be treeless, concrete-filled neighborhoods that are significantly hotter than adjacent, leafy, wealthier neighborhoods. Tree-shaded surfaces, for example, can be twenty to forty-five degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded streets and sidewalks.” (The New Yorker)

 

On World Cities Day UN-Habitat Releases 2020 Report on The Value of Sustainable Urbanization

“Across the globe, ever since 2014, every year on the 31st of October, World Cities Day is celebrated. To mark this event, UN-Habitat has released its World Cities Report 2020 on the value of sustainable urbanization, focusing on the most up-to-date and pressing topics. Analyzing the intrinsic value of cities in generating economic prosperity, mitigating environmental degradation, reducing social inequality, and building stronger institutions, the report highlights how together these can drive transformative change.” (UNDP)

 

Bikes and Smart Grids: How UPS Manages Urban Delivery (with video)

“UPS International Sustainability Director Peter Harris talks e-bikes, smart grids and other innovations to manage congestion and reduce emissions in urban delivery.”(FreightWaves)