Europe

Famed Danish architect Jan Gehl shared his thoughts this week about people-friendly cities, and why we have no option but to build them.

August 18, 2013 - Future Cities

They sound too good to be true: houses that remain a comfortable temperature throughout the year without traditional climate control systems. Yet 30,000 such homes have been built in Europe. Why haven't passive houses caught on in the U.S.?

August 16, 2013 - The New York Times

Germany has been able to fend off the worst effects of the deep recession that's beset seemingly every European country. But it finds itself facing the same continent-wide demographic crisis afflicting its less-affluent neighbors.

August 15, 2013 - The New York Times

In a country still struggling with how to integrate its fast growing immigrant population, the vibrant public market located in Rome's Piazza Vittorio Emanuele provides a taste of its recent ethnic changes.

August 13, 2013 - The New York Times

Mayor Ignazio Marino of Rome has banned private vehicles from Via dei Fori Imperiali, built by Benito Mussolini to link his palace in Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum. Initially open to buses and taxis, it will eventually be completely pedestrianized.

August 6, 2013 - The New York Times - Europe

Since it was begun in the late 1950's, Paris's La Defense business district 'has always worked better in architectural theory than in anthropological practice,' says Georgi Kantchev. A new plan seeks to humanize the spaces between its tall towers.

August 1, 2013 - The New York Times

A new study has quantified how Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann's plans changed the form and function of Paris - a topic that had previously been open to the subjective analysis of urban theorists. The results might surprise you.

July 31, 2013 - BBC

Utilizing an online tool that compares images from Google Street View, researchers have built a better understanding of the 'small, often imperceptible reasons' that make some streets and places feel safer than others.

July 31, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

A new governance structure will integrate central Paris with its suburbs in order to facilitate regional planning for 6.5 million inhabitants across 124 municipalities.

July 30, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

With 87 total waste-to-energy plants in the U.S., the country is only able to convert 12 percent of its trash to electricity (compared to 38 percent for Germany, for instance). Why is America still sending 55 percent of its trash to landfills?

July 29, 2013 - Governing

By renewing Madison Square Garden's lease for only 10 years, New York's City Council signaled that relief for passengers using the city's dreadful Penn Station may be in sight. Which of Europe's loathsome stations might be next?

July 29, 2013 - The Guardian

79 people are confirmed to have died so far in Spain's most deadly train accident in 40 years. The accident involved an Alvia train traveling from Madrid to Ferrol that was said to be operating at more than twice the advised speed when it derailed.

July 25, 2013 - El Pais

So much for the economic laws of supply and demand or "drilling our way" to cheap gas prices. It's not that simple when it comes to oil. Dan Strumpf explains what's behind the latest surge in oil prices. Oil markets and infrastructure play key roles.

July 22, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

The bike helmet requirement will ultimately destroy the success of the planned Seattle bike share program, writes Danny Westneat, Seattle Times staff columnist, after experiencing first-hand the world's most successful bike share program in Paris.

July 21, 2013 - The Seattle Times

When people think of Moscow, they're unlikely to envision lush green landscapes. But over the last two decades, thanks to a burgeoning environmental movement, the city has rapidly expanded its protected green space.

July 21, 2013 - POLIS

The derailment of an intercity train south of Paris last week is drawing attention to France's two-tiered rail system. While high-speed trains are celebrated and expanded, local lines suffer from underinvestment and neglect.

July 18, 2013 - The Guardian

In the capitals of Europe, the humble paver is being deployed as a powerful tool to refresh and enliven public spaces, writes Jared Green.

July 18, 2013 - THE DIRT

We've recently looked at the shortage of bike parking plaguing cities like Amsterdam. Designers are on the case, inventing 'ingenious ideas' for parking all those bikes. Ben Schiller looks at five of the best.

July 13, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Despite widespread budget woes and austerity programs, European cities are pushing forward with plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by retrofitting existing transit systems in a "slow-motion revolution" in electric transport, reports Erica Gies.

July 8, 2013 - The New York Times

Spotted on the front page of Saturday's WSJ is a picture of a Yuba Mundo longtail cargo bike, directing readers to Tom Vanderbilt's feature article of the "Off Guard" section describing the many types of cargo bikes. Main cargo is kids and groceries.

July 8, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal