Germany

Brain Gain in Eastern Germany

After twenty years of reunification, the eastern part of Germany is finally beginning to lure educated workers back.

November 8, 2009 - The New York Times

Carbon Capture and Storage Ignites Debate in Germany

A proposed CCS site under an eastern German village has met serious opposition from locals who fear their crops and families will suffer. Scientists and the energy company say it's perfectly safe.

October 7, 2009 - The Wall Street Journal

Urban Sports Creating New Life in Civic Spaces

Urban sports like bike polo and urban golf are taking off in Germany, and are beginning to bring life back to formerly uninhabited concrete spaces.

September 26, 2009 - Der Spiegel

Berlin Airport to Be Reborn as Public Park

A historic airfield in Berlin will be transformed over the next year into the city's largest park.

September 2, 2009 - The Local

Utopias in Miniature

As Germany's elections near, the makers of 'Miniature Wonderland' invite political parties to use their scale models to show the public what their utopia would look like.

August 27, 2009 - Speigel International

Learning How to be Clean and Green from Germany

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

Take a ride on the Scwebebahn

I’d been obsessed with it ever since I saw The Princess and the Warrior. (Between that and the funicular in Flashdance, there is just something about bad-ass chicks that commute via unique transit.) So, when I found myself with an unexpected free morning in Essen, Germany, after especially cooperative weather for photographing the day before, I hopped on the S-Bahn towards Wuppertal to see the famed train. 

May 26, 2009 - Jess Zimbabwe

A New Suburb Without Cars

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

Lessons from Germany

Germany, while similarly autocentric, has managed to create a much more sustainable transportation system than the U.S., according to a study commissioned the by Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program.

April 18, 2009 - Brookings

Global Recession, But Berlin's Got Nowhere to Fall

The economic recession is hard to notice in Berlin. The German capital has struggled economically for years and continues to.

March 9, 2009 - Der Spiegel

Improving Transit Efficiency The German Way

Traffic is a nightmare in Cali, Colombia, the Latin American country's third-largest city. But a massive redesign is taking place, with German transit efficiency guiding the way.

January 30, 2009 - Der Spiegel

Creative Ideas Stream In for Berlin Airport Reuse

A massive WWII-era airfield in Berlin has been closed down, but city officials are looking for ways to take advantage of the large space. New ideas abound -- from a proposal for a "red light" district to plans for an artificial mountain.

January 23, 2009 - Der Spiegel

Re-Creating Historic Places - But Why?

Plans to construct a replica of a German palace in Berlin are being met with confusion and derision. It's a project that many critics say has no point.

January 5, 2009 - International Herald Tribune

German Suburbs: Look Familiar?

According to Kirk Rogers, European suburbs are not all that different from American ones--they indulge the need for space, good schools, and cars-- and they're there to stay.

December 10, 2008 - New Geography

Friday Funny: Masking the Smells of Public Transit

Stinky trains may become a thing of the past in Berlin, where officials are sniff-testing new fragrances to mask the odors of public transit.

September 5, 2008 - Der Spiegel

German NIMBYs Oppose Mosques

Incidents of violence and vandalism highlight a rising tide of local opposition to teh construction of new mosques in Germany.

July 18, 2008 - Der Spiegel

Town Removes All Traffic Signals

Bohmte, Germany is following the lead of an EU program called "Shared Space", which recommends that cities remove traffic signals and find ways to encourage cars to share their space with pedestrians and bicyclists.

June 28, 2008 - ABC News

Soccer Fans Join Together for Street 'Carnivals'

"Football Carnivals" are on the rise in Germany, where the community viewing buzz from the 2006 World Cup has hung around and revived itself for the current European Championship.

June 18, 2008 - Der Spiegel

Support Wanes for Turkey's Controversial Dam

A massive dam project in Turkey that would flood historic areas and displace 50,000 people is losing international support, as officials in Germany threaten to pull out of the project -- often called a smaller version of China's Three Gorges Dam.

April 20, 2008 - Der Spiegel

German City a Model for 'Sane Transportation'

The German city of Bremen has lessons to teach North American cities about sustainable transportation, according to this article from The Toronto Star.

April 18, 2008 - The Toronto Star

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.

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