Europe
Friday Eye Candy: Google Streetview Tours the World's Largest Model Railway
After documenting places like the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and the vertical walls of El Capitan in Yosemite, the Google Streetview team thought small for its latest project.
VW Scandal Obscures Diesel's Real Problem
It's easy to focus on the sensational headlines based on the fraud committed by Volkswagen, but doing so masks the deadly and ongoing problems of diesel emissions plaguing the world's densely populated cities.
Air Pollution Forces Italian Cities to Enact Serious Driving Restrictions
Unusually mild and dry weather in much of Italy has worsened air quality so much that city governments are acting to reduce emissions from one of the chief sources of air pollution by enacting odd-even license restrictions on driving.
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.
Rail Stations Shortchanged as Homeland Security Focuses on Airports
Rail travelers are not subject to the same degree of security measures as air travelers according to security experts, reports Ron Nixon for The New York Times. Yet far more travel by rail than plane, and rail has been a terrorist target abroad.
Big News From Paris: A New International Climate Accord
After two weeks of negotiating in Paris, almost 200 countries agreed to a plan to reduce emissions, though not to the level supporters had hoped. Nonetheless, the COP21 agreement may be an 'inflection point in human history,' notes The Times.
Car-Free Movement Gaining Steam in Europe and Elsewhere
Athlyn Cathcart-Keays of The Guardian-Cities chronicles the advancement of the international urban car-free movement as well as auto regulations that focus on air pollution. The most recent city to join the growing list is Oslo, Norway
World Leaders Shouldn't Underestimate the Climate-Saving Potential of Bicycles
Writing in The Guardian's Bike Blog, Peter Walker has an important message for the 40,000 delegates from 195 nations gathered in Paris for the COP21 talks: Don't discount the carbon-reducing, planet-saving potential of the bicycle.
Public Transit May Boost Mental Health
A new study based on an analysis of the residents of Turin, Italy, a city of over 900,000, reveals that walkable access to public transit and urban services benefits mental health, particularly for women and seniors.
It Is Now Next to Impossible to Reside Anonymously in a Big City
It is now next to impossible to reside anonymously in a modern city. Why? Because data anonymization itself is almost impossible without using advanced cryptography. Our every transaction leaves a digital marker that can be mined by anyone...
Berlin Moves To Protect, Expand Affordable Housing
Berlin's Senate has approved a sweeping reform of the city's housing policy, limiting rents on close to 400,000 public housing units to no more than 30 percent of a household income.
Madrid Takes Drastic Action to Curb Pollution
With a growing reputation for heavy local pollution, the city of Madrid will impose reduced speed limits and driving restrictions in its central core. On bad days, transit will be free to ride.
Asian Subways Are the Busiest
Rankings from the International Association of Public Transport have Tokyo on top, followed by Beijing and Shanghai. New York comes in seventh.
The Story of Diesel and Electric Cars in Europe
Two separate New York Times articles examine cars powered by electricity in Norway and diesel fuel in Britain and Western Europe in the wake of Volkswagen's emissions scandal. A critic of the Norway's e-car subsidies subtly ties the two together.
Friday Eye Candy: The 'Objective' Architectural Photos of Hilla and Bernd Becher
Hilla Becher passed away earlier this month at the age of 81, leaving behind an influential legacy on the art and practice of architectural photography.
Waze Index Ranks Driver Satisfaction
One of the world's most popular navigation apps, Waze, has aggregated the data generated by 50 million users to develop a "Driver's Satisfaction Index." Perhaps surprisingly, auto-oriented Phoenix, Arizona leads all cities on the index.
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.
German Cities Rewrite Building Codes to Provide Homes for Refugees
Germany has reformed building codes in a marshaling of political will known as the "Culture of Welcome" for an expected one million refugees. German cities, many of them shrinking for decades, see the refugees as an opportunity and a responsibility.
Electric Vehicles: When Too Much of a Good Thing Is Bad
Environmental sustainability on a national level is proving to be financially unsustainable on a local level for an island community in Norway that is counting on $20 tolls, with an electrical vehicle exemption, to pay off a $70 million tunnel.
A New Algorithm to Predict Train Delays
An algorithm developed in Sweden adds an extra layer of reliability for rail commuters.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
