France
France to Require Green Roofs for Commercial Buildings
The French Parliament has approved legislation requiring commercial buildings to partially cover their rooftops in either plants or solar panels.
Global Suburbanisms: Beyond the White Picket Fence
With more people gravitating toward cities than ever before, new urban morphologies are proliferating throughout the world. Arup Connect's Sarah Wesseler talks with Roger Keil of York University about challenges facing global suburban development.
Recalling Our Basic Pride of Place
In the fifth of his "place-decoding" series from France, Chuck Wolfe recalls how we carry with us the ability to mine pride from place, even in places that are, perhaps, least expected to shine.
Exploring the 'Finesse of the Avenue'
In his fourth "place-decoding" essay from France, Chuck Wolfe illustrates how a traditional placemaking intervention is especially powerful when underlying urban fundamentals align.
The Importance of Inter-Urban Walkability
In his third "place-decoding" essay from France, Chuck Wolfe recalls all that we can learn from walking between settled places.
The Option of Sensing the City
In his second Huffington Post article on "place-decoding," Chuck Wolfe argues for considered attention to enhancing people's abilities to discern the city around them.
Learning to 'Place-Decode' the Elements of Urbanism
Chuck Wolfe champions the role of France's attachment to place as a laboratory for decoding the essential elements of urbanism.
Book Review: 'How Paris Became Paris'
"How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City," by Joan DeJean, is full of creative insights on the symptoms of urban modernity as well as bold statements about how Paris came to be one of the world's great cities.
Urban River Revitalization Across the Globe
Urban Times offers a list of 13 urban river renewal projects spanning from Medellin to Manila.
France Rethinks Its Diesel Fuel Addiction
Unlike the U.S., most passenger vehicles in Europe run on diesel fuel, not gasoline, and from a public health perspective, diesel emissions can severely exacerbate particle pollution during weather inversions like the one Paris is now experiencing.
"Stop Mass Immigration" Referendum Passes In Switzerland
The vote to approve restrictions on immigration passed narrowly with 50.3 percent of the vote. The main repercussion may be how it impacts trading with its neighbors in the EU as immigration quotas may invalidate a 1999 treaty allowing free movement.
Reimagining Paris’s Derelict Métro Stations
Parisian mayoral candidate Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet's proposal for the city’s abandoned train stations can be safely described as awesome. The designs are still a dream, but the city of lights is a good place for creative activity.
How a 350-Year-Old Garden Influenced New York's 9/11 Memorial
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the birth of gardener Andre Le Notre. Eleanor Beardsley traces the legacy of the designer of the gardens at Versailles, whose visionary work influenced many, including landscape architect Peter Walker.
What Does it Take to Play Paris's Biggest Stage?
Not just anyone can (legally) perform for the millions of passengers who ply Paris's mammoth subway system every day. Liz Alderman looks at the competitive process to land a highly coveted, and potentially lucrative, permit to play Paris Métro.
What Is a Place Without the People?
In an illustrated essay, Chuck Wolfe contrasts the ideal form of the New England town with an abandoned French village, calling out the human infrastructure essential to successful urban places.
Theft and Vandalism Threaten One of World's Largest Bike-Share Systems
With 12,000 docking stations, Paris' expansive Velib system is the envy of cities across the world. But last year it lost 9,000 bikes to theft or vandalism. Its admirable ambition is threatening the functionality of the entire system.
Can Paris's Ugliest Building Win Fans With a New Look?
As the Tour Montparnasse turns 40, the much-despised office tower is getting a makeover. With a new lighting display and plans to replace its windows, the tower is trying to alter its image. But are the renovations likely to change perceptions?
Battle of Legacies Strands One of Modernism's Most Important Houses
A house designed by pioneering modernist Eileen Gray, and later covered in murals by Le Corbusier, sits in preservation limbo as experts and officials debate whose legacy demands more respect in stalled renovations.
Planning a People-Centered Renaissance for La Defense
Since it was begun in the late 1950's, Paris's La Defense business district 'has always worked better in architectural theory than in anthropological practice,' says Georgi Kantchev. A new plan seeks to humanize the spaces between its tall towers.
Quantifying How Haussmann Changed the Function and Form of Paris
A new study has quantified how Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann's plans changed the form and function of Paris - a topic that had previously been open to the subjective analysis of urban theorists. The results might surprise you.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.
