With the support of Israel's government, Better Place is proposing a radical solution to the country's petrol problems and aiming to make the country the first to rid itself of dependence on oil for transportation.
The man behind Better Place is Shai Agassi. "He conceived the idea at a workshop session for young leaders organized by the World Economic Forum, then outlined his vision for battery-swapping electric cars at a 2007 presentation at Washington's Brookings Institution, in which he claimed to have devised a way to run a country without oil." This riveted the attention of Israeli President Shimon Peres, who remains a key backer of the company and has described Agassi as "a brilliant man".
"Renault, whose CEO Carlos Ghosn is betting his company's future on electric cars, gave Agassi's business crucial support by promising to supply 100,000 electric Fluences by 2016 to Israel and Denmark – where Better Place is also installing a nationwide network. To put this in perspective, there are just a few thousand electric cars now on the road in north America and Europe"
Read the full story: Electric Cars Are All The Rage In Israel
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.
Bauhaus Treasures Beginning to Get the Care They Deserve in Tel Aviv
JoAnn Greco explores Tel Aviv's trove of neglected Bauhaus treasures, which date to the growth of the brand-new Israeli city as a haven for Jews fleeing Nazi Germany.
Benjamin Netanyahu's Land Reform Provokes Student Protest
Amid the backdrop of Mahmoud Abbas' application for Palestinian statehood, Jesse Fox critiques the Israeli premier for his antiquated plan to fast track sprawling suburban developments into Israel's rapidly diminishing open spaces.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Trump is considering data centers on 6 states' public land — some state officials say they had no idea
If the administration approves the proposed projects, data center and data center-related developments will cover 17,600 acres of public land.
After decades of planning, Sacramento gains new light rail station
Trains will arrive every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes during non-peak hours.
Massive tunnel-boring machine breaks ground on Gateway Project
The Trump administration revoked funding for the project in October 2025, and then restored it earlier this year.
Airo trainsets begin service on Amtrak Cascades route
The trains feature panoramic windows, complementary wifi and over 300 seats per train set.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello