Europe

Gaia Pianigiani discusses the recent opening of a new, luxury high-speed rail line in Italy – Europe's first private competitor to domestic, state-run HSR.

May 2, 2012 - The New York Times

Sarah Goodyear offers a brief history of urban development in postwar Europe, and tells of just how close the bicycle capitals of the West came to putting cars before people.

April 28, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Japan was not the only nation to shutter its nuclear power plants after the March 11, 2011 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami. Germany followed suit. Consequently, both nations have seen a dramatic increase in coal burning, thus increasing emissions.

April 24, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Ellen Barry reports on the Georgian government's plans for Lazika, "its grandiose city of the future", which will be based on the Chinese concept of the instant city.

April 23, 2012 - The New York Times

An amusement park in East Berlin, abandoned for the past 11 years, will be reopened this year as a haven for public art, writes Julie Ma.

April 13, 2012 - Good

Elisabetta Povoledo reports on a long-term plan unveiled last week to protect Pompeii from the impact of nature, tourists, and organized crime.

April 9, 2012 - The New York Times

New research suggests that the electrification of automobiles can undermine planning efforts to create denser development patterns and may work against policies that encourage non-motorized forms of mobility, such as biking and walking.

April 9, 2012 - European Planning Studies

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 22, 2012 - Fast Coexist

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

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

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

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

March 9, 2012 - The City Fix

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

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

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