Middle East
Dubai Launches Free Smart Umbrella Rental to Improve Walkability
By helping residents walk comfortably in the rain or blazing sun, Dubai hopes to advance its 2040 master plan goals of sustainability and becoming a “20-minute city.”
Use or Misuse of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
Rising gasoline prices prompted President Biden to announce on October 19 that he was authorizing the release of 15 million barrels of crude oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
OPEC Plus Decision to Reduce Oil Output Could Lead to Global Recession
A decision earlier this month by a group of the world's largest oil exporters to drastically reduce oil production to stem the decline in oil prices could be a ‘tipping point’ for a global recession, says the International Energy Agency.
Pumping More Oil to Lower Gas Prices
Proponents of increased oil drilling in the U.S. to replace banned Russian oil argue that it will decrease prices at the pump. A Texas reporter examined the claim with a University of Texas energy analyst. If only it was that simple.
COVID Vaccination Strategy: What the U.K. and U.S. Could Learn from Israel
Cases are surging in the U.K. despite 68% of its population being fully vaccinated. Experts say that U.K. officials should observe how Israel, with 63% of its population fully vaccinated, managed to reduce transmission after a similar surge.
Saudi Arabia Promises 'Net Zero' Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2060
Cue a grain of salt.
Boosters Bring Normalcy Back to Tel Aviv
Life in Tel Aviv is bustling again since COVID-19 vaccine boosters became accessible to anyone over 12 years of age. Traffic is now more of a concern than COVID, Mayor Ron Huldai told Bloomberg CityLab during a visit to 'quiet' Manhattan.
Biden Administration's Energy Hypocrisy Exposed
World Oil, an energy publication, slightly annotated a Bloomberg News article to expose the hypocrisy of the Biden administration: curtailing oil production at home while pushing to increase it abroad.
New Data from Israel Brings Good and Bad News on Pfizer Vaccine Effectiveness
A spike in coronavirus cases, driven by the Delta variant in one of the world's most vaccinated countries, has resulted in the return of the indoor masking mandate dropped just ten days earlier.
The World's Highest Rates of Coronavirus Infections and Deaths
Brazil and the U.S. lead the world in daily COVID-19 cases and deaths. Western Europe is undergoing a third wave of infections, resulting in a new round of lockdowns, yet most of these nations are not among the 12 hotspots shown on a global tracker.
Will Israel Show Us the Way Out of the Pandemic?
If vaccinations are key to ending the pandemic, Israel may get there first as it has the highest rate by far of any nation. Paradoxically, it also has the world's second-highest rate of daily new COVID-19 cases.
Academic Studies: Staying at Home Saved Millions of Lives Globally
Separate coronavirus studies from the University of California at Berkeley and Imperial College London published June 8 in the journal Nature show the life and health-saving value of domestic stay-at-home orders, global lockdowns, and other measures.
Israel to Track Coronavirus Using Cellphone Data
Data from millions of cellphone customers will be used to locate and alert individuals who may have come into contact with people carrying the virus.
Just What the World Needs: $20 Per Barrel Oil
Oil prices crashed Monday due to a disagreement between two of the world's largest oil producers, Saudi Arabia and Russia, amidst a slump in oil demand due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Oil will flood the market as demand drops.
Starchitecture Comes to Saudi Arabia
Designed by Norwegian firm Snøhetta, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, promises to spread knowledge and promote understanding against the backdrop of the kingdom's dismal record on human rights.
Desalination Plants Produce More Brine Than Fresh Water
The plants provide much-needed fresh water, but the environmental costs are immense.
The Best Architecture of 2018 (From the Other Side of the Atlantic)
The Guardian's list of architecture's best in 2018.
Implementing the Paris Climate Agreement in Katowice, Poland
Representatives from nearly 200 nations have been attending the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Katowice since Dec. 2 to work on implementing the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Scheduled to end Friday, it will be extended two days due to discord.
Petrochemical Industry to Drive Major Growth in Oil Demand
A new report from the International Energy Association projects that petrochemicals will be the largest driver of oil consumption, greatly increasing greenhouse gas emissions and offsetting the effect of electric vehicles on oil demand.
Rising Gas Prices: A Reminder That Supply Alone Won't Bring Energy Security
Memorial Day gas prices are the highest since 2014, The rising price of gas has already negated the tax savings from last year's tax cuts bill for low-income Americans. Retaining fuel economy standards would increase energy security.
Pagination
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.
University of Southern California
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HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
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San Joaquin LAFCo
City of South Portland