by admin | Apr 18, 2017 | Climate, Drought, Floodplain management, Infrastructure, Natural Hazards, Parks, Science, Urban Planning, Water
For those who think only in terms of the politics of red and blue states, the conference I attended March 30-31 in Lincoln, Nebraska, may seem like a paradox, if not an oxymoron. It is neither. It is a matter of looking beyond labels to facts and common sense, and...
by admin | Mar 22, 2017 | Activism, Climate, Disaster policy, Environment, Floodplain management, Government, Public policy, Resilience, Urban Planning, Water
It is time to make America resilient. The trends have been moving us in the wrong direction for a long time, but we know how to reverse them. Planners — and elected officials — have to embrace the science that will inform us best on how to achieve that goal, and we...
by admin | Mar 19, 2017 | Activism, Climate, Economic development, Environment, Government, Housing, Infrastructure, National security, Natural Hazards, Politics, Public policy, Resilience, Science, Urban Planning, Water
The American Planning Association (APA), the organization that employs me as the manager of its Hazards Planning Center, made me proud last week. It took a rare step: It announced its opposition to President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget proposal. It is not that APA has...
by admin | Feb 4, 2017 | Activism, Books, Climate, Disaster, Drought, Industry, Natural Hazards, Resilience, Science, Water, Wildfire
In times of political hostility to scientific truth, knowledgeable people sometimes wonder how we can progress without federal support for important initiatives such as adaptation to climate change. The answer, in a vibrant democracy, is that the truth often bubbles...
by admin | Jan 18, 2017 | Agriculture, Environment, Floodplain management, Infrastructure, Natural Hazards, Resilience, Urban Planning, Water
From time to time, I contribute to the APA Blog, which consists of a variety of news and perspectives the American Planning Association provides to its members on its own website. Recently, I composed an article about an effort APA undertook in concert with several...
by admin | Sep 8, 2016 | Climate, Disaster policy, Floodplain management, Floodplain management, Government, Public policy, Public safety, Science, Technology, Urban Planning, Water
The American Planning Association has just posted today this article I wrote for its APA blog: https://www.planning.org/blog/blogpost/9111027/. Jim Schwab