France

Bike Traffic

Paris Gets What it Wanted: Fewer Cars in the City

Mayor Anne Hidalgo's efforts to improve air quality by reducing car trips in the city of Paris are paying off.

June 24, 2018 - road.cc

Tailpipe

Another Nail in the Coffin of the Internal Combustion Engine?

Is the movement away from gasoline and diesel-powered cars unstoppable? In response to air pollution litigation, the British government announced on July 26 that sales of gasoline and diesel vehicles would be banned by 2040.

July 31, 2017 - The New York Times

Self-Driving Bus

In Europe, Self-Drivers Focus on Augmenting Transit

Unlike the American focus on luxury personal self-drivers, the European approach favors small self-driving buses that can ferry riders to larger transit lines.

May 31, 2017 - The New York Times

Paris Trees

Paris Targets Vacant Second Homes With 60% Tax

7.5 percent of homes in the French capital have no one living in them.

March 31, 2017 - Better Dwelling

Champs-Elysees

Less and Less of Paris Open to Cars

Paris Mayor Anne Hildalgo announced a new plan to further restrict cars and trucks from the city center.

January 12, 2017 - The Independent

France Opened the First Solar Roadway Built For Cars

A bike path in the Netherlands has been generating solar power since 2014, but the first example of a solar roadway built for cars opened this week in France.

December 23, 2016 - The Guardian

Ça c'est Paris

Paris Climate Accord Will Take Effect November 4

October 5 was an historic day, hailed President Obama, as nations responsible for emitting more than 55 percent of world carbon emissions have now signed the Paris climate agreement, the threshold needed for the accord to take effect in 30 days.

October 8, 2016 - Reuters

Bollards

Pedestrians Need Protection from Motor Vehicles Used as Deadly Weapons

As of press time on Friday, the death toll from the Nice Bastille Day massacre is 84, injuries exceeding 200, a record for an act of alleged terrorism committed by a single person. It also sets a record for death by the use of a motor vehicle.

July 16, 2016 - NBC News

Paris Skyline

Paris to Begin Serious Car Restrictions on July 1

The carefree days of driving any-old-junker-they-please are over for Parisians, and they'll be even further obsolete when the calendar changes from June to July.

June 3, 2016 - CityLab

Pont Neuf

In Paris, Tough Talk on Income Segregation

As is so often the case worldwide, many Parisians live in communities distinguished by class. The city government wants to change that by inserting thousands of public housing units in wealthy central districts.

May 31, 2016 - CityLab

Paris Metro Train

8 Lessons from the Paris Metro

Transportation planner Dan Malouff shares eight insights into what makes the Paris Metro one of the world's great subways.

May 3, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

Paris, River Seine

Paris Prepares for the Worst With a Flood Drill

If the Seine rises to historic levels, Paris officials want to be ready. Earlier this month, an 11-day drill sought to prepare the city for what would happen if the Seine and Marne Rivers rose above their banks.

March 21, 2016 - The Independent (UK)

Affordable Housing

Using the Wrong Tools to Build Affordable Housing

What's the best way to deliver long-term affordable housing?

March 11, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

$25 Billion Paris Métro Extension—Grand Ambitions Included

The scale of the Line 14 subway extension is enough to impress any American transit advocate.

February 12, 2016 - The Atlantic

Clean Energy

France to Pave 621 Miles of Roads With Solar Panels

The French government made a bombshell of an announcement last week, when it said it will pave 1,000 km of roads in the country with photovoltaic panels.

January 28, 2016 - Global Construction Review

Paris Trees

Paris Launches EcoDistrict on Train Station Site

After a decade of development, Paris' first EcoDistrict launched this year. Built in place of a disused train station, the district features offices, housing, and amenities built around clean and green principles.

December 21, 2015 - The Global Grid

Witness a Car-Free Paris

We call them Open Streets events. In French it's Journée Sans Voiture. On September 27, the world saw a car-free Paris.

September 28, 2015 - Gizmodo

Terror On-Board European High-Speed Train

Massacre on a Paris-bound train was averted in France on Friday due to the courageous actions of three Americans, one in the Air Force another in the Oregon National Guard, who rushed and subdued a Moroccan man armed with an AK-47 and a handgun.

August 23, 2015 - The New York Times

Master Planned Neighborhood Focuses on Materials to Avoid Blandness

Could something as simple of the material selected for a residential tower prove the "antidote to suburban blandness"? A Parisian suburb thinks so.

July 23, 2015 - Frame

Study: Golden State Should Change Name to Greenest State

California's economy is not only the "least carbon-intensive" in the United States, it's the second lowest in the world when measured per economic output, according to a new study that evaluates economics and environment.

May 19, 2015 - San Francisco Chronicle

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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.