Climate action isn’t only written in federal legislation or international agreements. It’s shaped block by block through local land use law—where homes are built, how streets connect, what landscapes we preserve, and which energy systems we permit. In this episode, we chatted with Professor John Nolan to unpack the “land use wedge,” a practical way cities can influence up to 75 percent of CO2 emissions through buildings, transportation, sequestration, distributed energy, and renewables. Along the way, we trace how zoning leapfrogged planning a century ago, why that history still shapes our neighborhoods, and how a course correction can deliver compact, walkable, climate resilient places.

Professor Nolan shares case studies, court-tested approaches, and leadership insights from training thousands of local officials. We talk specific tools—clustering and infill, adaptive reuse, green roofs and tree canopies, solar-ready codes, and transit-supportive density—that reduce emissions and protect public health. We close with a look at a student-led workshop and a model framework for climate resilient development designed to help planners, attorneys, and elected leaders move from plan to ordinance to impact.

Show Notes:

• Further Reading: 
  • Zoning the American Dream: Promises Still to Keep by Charles Haar and Jerold Kayden
  • Land Use in American by Henry Diamond, Patrick Noonan, and Laurance Rockefeller
  • The American City: What Works, What Doesn’t by Alexander Garden
• Death of Dillon’s Rule article: https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/lawfaculty/1208/
• Climate Resilient Development Workshop: https://www.pace.edu/law/centers-and-institutes/land-use-law-center/publications-and-resources/climate-resilient
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