Europe
Madrid to Blanket Itself in Green for Climate Change Resilience
Madrid, already famous for deciding to impose stringent limitations on driving, has a plan to blanket the city in green to increase its resilience to the effects of climate change.
The First Leg of Germany's New 'Bike Autobahn' Is Complete
The first five kilometers of a bike route that could eventually stretch 100 kilometers opened recently in Germany. An eventual "bike autobahn" could become even more expansive.
A Forced Gentrification May End Amsterdam’s Red Light District
In an attempt to force out organized crime and bring in a better class of tourist, the local government has forced the closure of brothels in the city's famed Red Light District.
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.
Satirical Ad Campaign Pitches Belgian Traffic Jams as World Heritage Sites
The "war on cars" and its pushback has a achieved a singular pitch in Belgium, where the national rail service has canvassed the country with a satirical ad campaign excoriating the country's horrible congestion.
The Dutch Junction Explained
Cars and cyclists have issues at intersections. A new type of intersection design from the Netherlands offers improved protection to cyclists. The solution is based on the four islands near each corner of the intersection.
Friday Funny: A History of Political Cartoons on the Subject of Gentrification
Cartoonists have been satirizing the issue of gentrification for almost a century. Witness the evolution of gentrification political cartoons in an article by The Guardian.
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.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
