Europe

Council for European Urbanism Analyzes Paris High-Rise Proposals

David Brussat, architecture critic for the Providence, RI, Journal, describes a new report from the Council for European Urbanism, which finds that the high-rises planned for Paris will not live up to their promises.

April 2, 2012 - Providence Journal

Guerrilla Crosswalk Debuts in France

Jeroen Beekmans reports on the pet project of "urban hacktivist" Florian Rivière to produce light-weight pop-up crosswalks.

March 31, 2012 - The Pop-Up City

Does Improved Walkability Reduce Crime?

Adam Davies writes about the results of an experimental policing project in the Netherlands that seems to demonstrate that improvements to the pedestrian environment have reduced crime in Rotterdam.

March 26, 2012 - Walkonomics

Europe's Largest Civil Engineering Project

London kicks-off the beginning of a massive new rail line linking the city's western suburbs, including Heathrow Airport, through the city, and into the eastern suburbs in Essex.

March 26, 2012 - NPR

Threats of Violence Derail Plans For Berlin Urban Think Tank

The BMW Guggenheim Lab, a globe trotting think tank that landed in New York last year will not be making its next scheduled stop in Berlin due to threats, reports Phil Patton.

March 24, 2012 - The New York Times

Capturing Carbon in Rocks Gains Traction

Michael Coren explores a potentially solid idea for carbon sequestration - turning our greenhouse gas emissions into underground rock formations.

March 22, 2012 - Fast Coexist

Is Controversial Megacasino the Best Cure for a Spanish City's Economic Woes?

As leaders in Madrid and Barcelona slug it out to lure a new megacasino to their cities, some are questioning the economic, environmental, legal, and moral compromises being offered.

March 19, 2012 - The Guardian

Guinness Goes Green

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, Kaid Benfield profiles the sustainable practices of the most Irish of emblems, Guinness Beer.

March 17, 2012 - Switchboard

Sweden's Cutting-Edge, 17-Story Greenhouse

Julie Ma investigates how one Swedish company is paving the way for a new urban food system that aims to increase one city's self-sufficiency.

March 14, 2012 - Good

What Can We Do With Crowdsourced Maps?

Shriya Malhotra explores the potential for participatory mapping to manage the complexities of cities in the 21st century.

March 9, 2012 - The City Fix

Is Europe's Emission Reduction Too Much of a Good Thing?

The Economist reports on what Europe's tanking carbon market means for efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the continent.

March 8, 2012 - The Economist

The Doctor Is In: How Medicalization Effects Contemporary Planning and Architecture

Giovanna Borasi & Mirko Zardini examine the state of pervasive anxiety afflicting the urban populations of the West and how "medicalization" and an ambition for total well-being are effecting architecture and urban planning.

March 7, 2012 - Places

From Landscape to Soundscape in Urban Placemaking

Chuck Wolfe outlines the importance of soundscapes to cities past, present and future, and describes efforts to both document urban sounds and use sound as a planning tool.

March 7, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Starbucks Reinvents Itself, in Amsterdam

Perhaps it's appropriate that Starbucks has chosen a city known for self-exploration and experimentation to unveil a new concept store that offers a glimpse of the cafe of the future.

March 7, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Design

Using Public Art to Highlight Government Misdeeds

John Metcalfe profiles the work of Spanish art collective luzinterruptus, who have used public art pieces to highlight the failings of Spanish authorities, such as Madrid's dysfunctional drinking fountains.

February 28, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Why Is Germany Backing off Its Green Energy Promotion?

In one of the countries leading the world in green energy adoption, a program to support solar energy has become a victim of its own success, reports Bjørn Lomborg.

February 28, 2012 - Slate

Moscow Cyclists Doing it for Themselves

Jennifer Hattam profiles a DIY project of artist Anton Polsky, who set out to create a better bike map for the city of Moscow.

February 24, 2012 - Treehugger

A European Model for Suburban Retrofitting

Kaid Benfield revisits the results of a plan to revitalize the town center of Plessis-Robinson, a suburb of Paris, with the suggestion that its success could inform similar efforts in the United States.

February 23, 2012 - Switchboard

Is the Government Abandoning Moscow?

Nate Berg reports on a plan by federal and city government officials in Moscow to decamp from the central city for offices in newly annexed outer regions, and to redevelop the former office buildings as housing and hotels.

February 15, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Paris Authorizes Cyclists To Run Red Lights

In most cases, traffic signals are used to stop vehicles succumbing to Newton's law of motion, but a new decree in Paris will change that. Eighteen intersections are now subject to newly relaxed rules that allow cyclists to continue at red lights.

February 9, 2012 - The Telegraph

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.