Europe

Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG looks at plans for a zoo in France made up of simulated environments, and wonders why we don't build simulated environments for humans.

June 30, 2009 - BLDBLOG

According to the latest numbers out of Amsterdam, residents are for the first time using bicycles for transport more often than they use their cars.

June 27, 2009 - The Oregonian

European cities are experimenting with trains that can switch from heavy rail (to reach suburbs on existing tracks) and street-running fixed link systems (to reach city centers).

June 25, 2009 - City Mayors

Paris' bike-sharing program Vélib was supposed to make commuting more civilized; instead it has become the subject of widespread theft and abuse.

June 19, 2009 - The Globe and Mail

A prison design in Austria that emphasizes inmate comfort and dignity raises questions about the role architecture and design plays in preventing or encouraging more crime.

June 16, 2009 - The New York Times

The future of Paris has been laid out by ten teams of architects and planners. The ideas are broad, futuristic, and innovative, but few are likely to be realized.

June 11, 2009 - The New York Times

Amsterdam has taken its smart grid live, installing solar panels and 300 electric car recharging stations throughout the city.

June 11, 2009 - Business Week

Italian car designer Pininfarina has announced that it will release a fully-electric, partially solar-powered car in Europe in 2010.

June 9, 2009 - Inhabitat

This piece from Wired looks at the Swedish mining town of Kiruna that is literally picking itself up and moving.

June 4, 2009 - Wired

Alex Marshall takes a look at Spain's recent record of proactive transportation planning, connecting cities to direct development rather than to connect already successful areas.

June 3, 2009 - Governing Magazine

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is visiting Spain, hoping to glean some knowledge from the country's recent successes with high-speed rail.

June 1, 2009 - The New York Time - Energy & Environment

Herve Kemp believes that the future of employment in Europe will include a million "family farmer jobs."

May 28, 2009 - Truthout

With communities balking at the purported ugliness of windtowers and solar panels, a Dutch company proposes using nature's own designs.

May 27, 2009 - Fast Company

Germany's experience in implementing environmentally-friendly concepts like green roofs, wind power and other renewables is pointing the way for many American decisionmakers.

May 27, 2009 - The New York Times

Sochi, Russia, is set to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. But work on the site has hardly begun, according to this report from The Moscow Times.

May 19, 2009 - The Moscow Times

Vauban, Germany is a new suburb that is part of the 'smart planning movement'. It is car-free, i.e. the streets are car-free, while car ownership is allowed but restricted to two garages, and the cost unbundled. Only 30% of families own cars.

May 12, 2009 - The New York Times - Environment

A new mapping project is creating a comprehensive 3D image of the catacombs beneath Rome.

May 7, 2009 - BBC

The Spanish government is moving forward with plans to build the largest casino and entertainment complex in Europe

May 1, 2009 - BBC

In this video, police in Denmark stop cyclists without helmets, hug them, and give them new helmets.

April 29, 2009 - Boing Boing

Vatican City has plans to build the largest solar plant in Europe, which will supply enough power for 40,000 households in a state of 900 inhabitants.

April 23, 2009 - Bloomberg