Asia-Pacific

China, Japan, other South East Asian countries, Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Islands countries.

Where There is Only Muck, Tadao Ando Sees a Floating Forest

Famed architect Tadao Ando wants to transform 220 acres of landfill in Tokyo Bay into a floating forest of almost half a million trees.

December 7, 2011 - The Asahi Shinbun

Asia's "Instant" Cities: Perfect Cities or Perfect Storm?

The "utopian" cities being built from scratch in Asia to accommodate its fantastic rate of urbanization are striving to be smarter and greener, but may also be financially risky.

November 28, 2011 - Slate

An Ancient Neighborhood Booms in Vietnam

Hanoi's Ancient Quarter, founded in 1010 A.D. and built around a plan from the 15th century, is seeing an entrepreneurial boom. Planners are struggling to maintain the unique character of the community in the process.

November 27, 2011 - POLIS

Assessing Asia's Brand New Cities

In this piece, Greg Lindsay take a cautiously optimistic stance on whether or not from-scratch Asian cities are the way to address urban overpopulation.

November 26, 2011 - Slate

Mongolia Constructs Glacier To Cool Capital

The Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator will begin construction this winter of an artificial glacier to cool the city next summer and provide melt water for drinking and irrigation.

November 21, 2011 - The Atlantic

How - and Where - Should We Live?

A new report predicts how - and where - we'll be living in the near future, and where planners and developers should focus.

November 19, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

How Transportation Planners Managed the Evacuation of Tokyo

InTransition magazine examined the daunting difficulties transportation authorities and the public faced while trying to evacuate Tokyo on the day of the Great Tohuku Earthquake in March.

November 15, 2011 - InTransition

New Planning Law Will Protect Istanbul's Historic Views And Lines Of Sight

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has announced a plan aimed at protecting the city's views by preventing construction of tall buildings in lines of sight and preventing illegal building construction.

October 17, 2011 - Hurriet Daily News

How the U.N. Uses GIS to Manage Humantarian Responses

Two planners with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reveal how they use GIS to coordinate their efforts, using the recent tsunami and earthquake in Japan as an example.

September 24, 2011 - Directions Magazine

Island Nation Considers Abandoning Ship, Going Mobile

Kiribati, a tiny island nation south of Hawaii, is facing a mounting threat from climate change. President Anote Tong is apparently seriously considering putting all 100,000 of Kiribati's people onto a manmade floating island.

September 20, 2011 - The Guardian U.K.

Power Players: 25 "Greenest" Cities

The Atlantic ranks cities around the globe with a roaring economic engine. Tokyo's formidable $1.2-trillion economic output propels the City to No. 1 spot. NYC, Chicago, Boston, and D.C. come in at No. 2, 4, 6, and 10, respectively.

September 16, 2011 - The Atlantic

IBM Releases "Commuter Pain Index"

A survey of over 8,000 commuters in 20 cities across 6 continents yields an alarming result. By and large, commuters in emerging economies face traffic conditions that are far worse than those who live in the U.S. and Europe.

September 10, 2011 - The Infrastructurist

Community Involvement Influenced by Anarchy

This Big City team looks at "small places of anarchy" in Toyko that has taken root in DIY Gardening, Collaborative Mental Mapping and FIXing the Neighborhood.

September 7, 2011 - This Big City

Melbourne Ranked as Most Livable City

With high scores in five broad categories, Melbourne, Australia received the highest spot in livability rankings from The Economist's research unit.

September 2, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

Creating A Silicon Valley in Russia

Officials in Russia are hoping to create their own version of Silicon Valley by luring tech companies to the Skolkovo innovation hub.

August 24, 2011 - Financial Times

Mag-Lev Project Meets Approval in Japan

Japanese officials recently approved plans to build a 320-mile magnetic levitation train system. The $114 billion project is expected to begin construction in 2014.

August 23, 2011 - Ecomagination

A Russia-U.S. Tunnel?

Russian officials are pushing a plan to build a tunnel connecting Russian territory to the United States.

August 23, 2011 - MSNBC

Friday Funny: Crossing the Street in Vietnam Takes Gumption

What crosswalk? Watch this man effortlessly synchronizes his steady gait with the oncoming cavalry of cars, buses, and motorcycles as he crosses a busy street in Vietnam. If there is fear, he sure does a great job not showing it.

August 19, 2011 - YouTube

Are Slums "Cohesive, Sustainable" and "Here to Stay?"

Paul Mason takes a tour of Manila's 10-year-old Estero de San Miguel slum to test the theory that slums have upsides and finds that understanding the question's realities is as important as trying to find the answer.

August 16, 2011 - BBC

Multi-Million Dollar Student Housing in Manhattan

It is not uncommon for wealthy Chinese to spend seven figures - in cash - on real estate "as housing for children studying in New York."

August 15, 2011 - The New York Times

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Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.