Europe
Renzo Piano on the Potential of Suburbs
In an interview, architect Renzo Piano says European suburbs are not desolate. He argues they shouldn't be treated as such in the quest for cohesive cities.
German Architect Frei Otto Awarded the 2015 Pritzker Architecture Prize
In a sad turn of events, Frei Otto passed away on March 9, prompting the Pritzker jury to move the announcement of the award up by two weeks. The Pritzker Prize is regarded as architecture's highest honor.
Did Augustus Really Transform Rome into a 'City of Marble'?
Caeser Augustus famously boasted "I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble." An architectural historian and urban designer at UCLA now has the model to prove the veracity of the claim.
Spain Wants to Crack Down on Drunk Walkers
Officials in the country of Spain have proposed a crackdown on drunk walking. The effect of the law would be to equate the pedestrian's use of the road with the drivers of automobiles.
Urban Planners Should Be More Like Party Planners
Urban planners like the nightlife. They like to boogie. But one researcher argues that planners should better understand how to balance the positive and negative effects of a bustling nightlife.
Reading Cities Cover to Cover, and Why
Chuck Wolfe underscores the importance of a holistic view of urban places, referencing themes of common experience, aesthetics, feelings of happiness, safety, or security—a basic narrative of the city that often goes beyond first impressions.
How Economic Crisis Inspired Grassroots Organizations in Greece
Citiscope examines the organizing and volunteer efforts of citizens in Athens, Greece in response to the country's economic crisis.
Will Cohousing Have a Baby Boomer Moment?
CityLab examines the cohousing concept—a way of living popular in parts of Europe that has yet to take off in the United States. Could that be about to change?
Can Maine Follow Denmark to Energy Independence?
Visitors from small islands off the coast of Maine traveled to Samsø, a larger island off the coast of Denmark, to learn how to emulate its transformation into a model of renewable energy.
Is Housing 'Baggage' Holding America Back?
Throwing money at our housing problems is clearly not the answer, but are there ideas from markets in Europe that might work for us?
More Evidence of the 'Neighborhood Effect'
Two recent studies find evidence of a powerful "neighborhood effect" for economic mobility—especially on the incomes of blue collar and service workers as compared to knowledge and creative workers.
First New U.S. Waste-to-Energy Plant in 20 Years to Open in Florida
Waste-to-energy plants, or incinerators, are classified as renewable power plants by the EPA. A controversial Baltimore plant is under construction as well. More common in Europe, they may be catching on stateside due to low recycling rates.
Two-Mile Freeway Cap to Cover the Autobahn in Hamburg
After deciding to widen the Autobahn 7 through Hamburg, Germany, local planners also decided cover the highway with parks. The benefits of the plan will include reconnected neighborhoods and noise reduction.
Study Shows How Useful Twitter Data Can Be for Planners
The atlantalarry blog shares news of a study in the Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence journal that used gelocalized tweets to map out nightlife areas in Madrid, London, and Manhattan.
High-Voltage Power Lines Awaken the German NIMBY
Never mind that the lines are needed to carry renewable energy from wind turbines in the north to industries in the south to meet the nation's formidable carbon reduction policies. Public health and property values come first for some neighbors.
Transportation Think Tank Recommends Ending Highway Trust Fund
The non-partisan Eno Center for Transportation has had it with futile attempts to raise the federal gas tax and the never-ending transfers (bailouts?) from the federal general fund to keep roads and transit funded. "Pay as you go" no longer works.
The Most Popular Planetizen Posts of 2014
We've been collecting data on the posts you made the most popular for the year 2014.
Parisian Traffic, Air Pollution Reduction Plan Caught on Political Snag
Parisian clean air politics turn out to be something of a class issue, even for a socialist mayor. The plans are seen as penalizing low income Parisians while benefiting elitist city dwellers who dislike traffic, overshadowing public health benefits.
Checking in with Jan Gehl
The Guardian ran a long feature examining the life and work of Jan Gehl, well known to planners as the urban "rethinker" behind the movement to design cities and places to the human scale.
Paris Expands Big Car Reduction Plans
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo made a game-changing announcement in the name of clean air and walkability
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
