Europe
Garbage Day Never Comes for Naples
Corrupt and inconsistent mob-controlled garbage collection in Naples, Italy, has left the city swimming in uncollected trash and with little hope of a resolution.
Architecture Degrees Gaining Popularity
The U.K. is seeing a significant leap in students applying for architecture degrees, possibly due to the rise in interest in sustainability around the world. Some worry that growing programs could impact the quality of education.
What Cities Have the Best Brands?
A new study ranks European cities on their brand, taking into a account sense of place, civic pride, and business climate. Paris ranks first (no surprise), but the research also reveals a handful of 'undervalued' cities.
Graffiti Temporarily Allowed in Prague
In Prague, where graffiti is rampant, an art gallery has secured outdoor wallspace throughout the city and invited graffiti artists to use it as a canvas for 12 days.
No Ceremony, Little Love for New Venice Canal Bridge
The first new bridge over Venice's Grand Canal in 70 years will open next month, but no no fanfare and without ceremony. Locals are calling off events to protest the bridge's many delays and cost overruns.
Planning for Avalanches
Technologie Alpine de Sécurité creates gas-powered avalanche control systems. The blog Pruned shows pictures of the system installed at Val Thorens, France.
All Roads Lead to Rome: The Theme Park
Faced with a significant decline in tourism, Rome's mayor dreams of building a theme park right next to the real thing depicting life in ancient Rome.
A New Neighborhood From Scratch in the Netherlands
A new district rises on the decommissioned Ypenburg Nato airfield in the Netherlands. Master planners Rapp & Rapp worked with other architects and developers to create a cohesive whole with slight variations, a “conditioning of difference."
Rome's Battle With Contemporary Architecture
The only modern building in Rome's historic center, a Richard Meier designed museum, is considered offensive enough that it may not last in its current form.
Vacation Home Shareholding
The American trend of "fractional ownership", a real estate concept in which a number of investors own fractions of vacation homes, has moved to Europe.
Budapest Railroad Run By 10 Yr. Olds
Originally a Stalinist program called 'Young Pioneers', the tradition of the Children's Railway is being revived in Budapest.
Massive Wall to Dry Flooded Kingdom
In order to save an ancient kingdom that was flooded by a reservoir in the 1950s, officials in Bulgaria will build a €100 million wall around the submerged monument.
Commuting By Bike (Spandex Not Required)
A Vancouver company is importing Dutch city bicycles, and the relaxed commuting lifestyle that goes with them.
Community Energy Planning Paying Off in Germany
A small town in Germany is demonstrating that a strategy of distributed, renewable and locally-controlled energy production can not only be Earth-friendly but profitable.
An Architect-Designed Mega Plan in Istanbul
One of the world's largest urban renewal projects is about to break ground in the Kartal area of Istanbul, and every aspect of the new neighborhood is designed by a star architect. The Wall St. Journal reports on the new "city-building industry".
Paris 'Beach' Opens
The annual transformation of riverbanks to beaches has begun in Paris, where the River Seine becomes a widely visited outdoor public space known as Paris Plages.
As Venues Sit Unused, Athens Feels Olympic Remorse
Four years after it hosted the Summer Olympics, Athens is questioning whether the $15 billion investment in venues that now largely sit unused was really worth it.
German NIMBYs Oppose Mosques
Incidents of violence and vandalism highlight a rising tide of local opposition to teh construction of new mosques in Germany.
Irish Alcatraz?
Belfast developers plan on turning a Victorian-era jail into a tourist attraction, hotel, and art gallery. Her Majesty’s Prison Belfast closed in 1996, and is a symbol of The Troubles, the long struggle in Northern Ireland for Irish independence.
Paris Considers Ditching Building Height Limits
Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë has proposed abandoning the city's long-held building height restriction of 37 meters, citing the city's need to grow.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
