Europe

Friday Funny: Satirizing the War on Cars
A new voice in the wilderness of YouTube: the War on Cars.

The World's Largest Bike Parking Facility Opening in The Netherlands
The story of Utrecht's new bike parking garage—with enough space initially for 6,000 bikes—has a surprising twist: local bike advocates don't think it's big enough.

Impacts of AVs and E-Commerce on Municipal Budgets
A new report from Urbanism Next/SCI takes you through a city’s budget—both revenues and expenditures—and describes the areas that will be affected as AVs become commonplace and e-commerce takes on an even larger role in retail

Are Reports Predicting a Future of Electric Vehicles Exaggerated?
David Yager, an oil industry consultant, writes that recent reports predicting electric vehicles will eventually outsell those with internal combustion engines are vastly exaggerated, notwithstanding national bans on future sales of such cars.

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.
Autonomous Vehicles and Streets: A Guide to Potential Impacts
As the arrival of autonomous vehicles (AVs) becomes more of a reality, cities need to start considering how this new technology will affect streets and street networks. This brief guide provides an overview and resources on this topic.

The Era of the Electric Vehicle is Approaching
A new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts that due to a plunge in battery prices and improvement in battery technology, electric vehicles will be cost-competitive with gasoline vehicles in eight years. By 2040, they will outsell them.

Take a LiDAR Tour of Dublin
The potential of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data to redefine mapping and modeling will be on display in the city of Dublin, Ireland, after NYU researchers released the largest ever LiDAR data set.

Interior Secretary Issues Order to Expedite Drilling on Public Lands
Secretary Zinke's order is part of the "energy dominance" agenda of the Trump Administration to make the U.S. a major energy exporter. The order will reduce the time needed by the Bureau of Land Management to process permitting for new wells.

Looking at Copenhagen with Jealous Eyes
Copenhagen's positive attributes are clear, but how transferable are they?

The Dutch: Ready to Export Their Flood Control Expertise
For those who want it, the Netherlands is willing to share the fruits of its centuries-long relationship with the unruly seas. In Rotterdam, lots of local urban solutions are also on display.

Can Planning Offer a Line of Defense Against Terrorism?
Planning for resilience might mean more than preparing for climate change, according to this opinion piece. Urban terrorism, in its current, tragic form, will require planners to prepare for the worst.

Oslo's Car-Free Dreams Easier Said Than Done
Touted as a leader among the European cities moving toward car-free streets, Oslo's ambitions of removing all cars from the city center has hit some roadblocks.

Muscovites Revolt Against Relocation Plan
Plans to decommission existing public housing blocks and replace them with newer high-rises has angered middle-class residents in Moscow who fear the loss of their homes and investments.

Friday Eye Candy: Ancient Rome's Maps, Reimagined as a Transit System
There are surprisingly few maps of ancient Roman roads, and many fewer maps of ancient Roman roads that resemble big-city subway maps. An intrepid student has improved upon that situation, however.

Beuvron-en-Auge: 15th Century Town Planning Stands the Test of Time
Another reason European placemaking has North American applications: it wasn't always perfect. Hazel Borys looks to simple town planning lessons from a village in Normandy.

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.

Inadequate Diesel Vehicle Testing Results in 38,000 Global Fatalities Annually
While the study stems from research that found Volkswagen diesel cars had used 'defeat devices' to pass emissions tests, the new study points to inadequacies in the tests themselves, resulting in 50 percent higher pollution than testing permits.

Beating the Heat (Island Effect) with the Japanese Tradition of Uchimizu
Can a few splashes of water on hot pavement reduce the heat island effect? Researchers find evidence to support a traditional Japanese method of cooling the environment.

Paris Targets Vacant Second Homes With 60% Tax
7.5 percent of homes in the French capital have no one living in them.
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