London

Bikes Could Be More Common Than Cars in London by 2019

A new report from Transport for London details the drastic growth of bike travel in one of the world's most famous and powerful cities.

March 29, 2016 - road.cc

Hackney Empire

How the Built Environment Shapes Music

From Motown to grunge, techno to hip hop, modern music came to life in garages, living rooms, churches, and warehouses. Urban design has been instrumental to what we listen to every day.

February 15, 2016 - The Guardian Cities

Boris Bikes, London

Londoners Taking to Bicycles in Record Numbers

The number of commuters taking to bicycle in the city have tripled since 2000, while commuting by car has been cut in half.

February 15, 2016 - The Architect's Newspaper

The Shard

Friday Eye Candy: London From Above

A new book, "London Rising," collects photos taken in not-quite-legal fashion from the tops of London's tallest buildings and structures.

February 12, 2016 - The Guardian

Tunnel Projects Pitched to Ease London's Traffic

London's mayor has proposed a solution to tackle the city's congestion and an expected population increase of 20 percent by 2030: build a system of tunnels to alleviate automobile traffic.

February 6, 2016 - The Guardian

Planning After the 1666 Great Fire of London

Revisiting a collected effort to reshape one of the world's most famous cities after a catastrophic disaster.

January 26, 2016 - The Guardian Cities

Lancaster Central Market

Imagining the Future Urban Food Market

Public food markets can be key centers of urban commerce and social life. Late last year, a brainstorming event in London considered how they might evolve to accommodate modern lifestyles and technologies.

January 22, 2016 - Nesta

Odd-Even Licensing Worked, So Why Is New Delhi Halting It?

Reporting from the world's most polluted capital, Julie McCarthy speaks with Ari Shapiro on NPR's "All Things Considered." McCarthy talks glowingly about how successful the two-week trial went in reducing pollution and congestion even more so.

January 22, 2016 - NPR

Map

Getting Residents Engaged in Participatory Mapping

Participatory mapping has become an increasingly popular planning tool. The examples that follow highlight how communities are using participatory mapping.

January 18, 2016 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

Rail Stations Shortchanged as Homeland Security Focuses on Airports

Rail travelers are not subject to the same degree of security measures as air travelers according to security experts, reports Ron Nixon for The New York Times. Yet far more travel by rail than plane, and rail has been a terrorist target abroad.

December 15, 2015 - The New York Times

Barbican Flats, London, UK

Balancing the Need for Housing Supply with Need for Office Space

London is the stage for one of the problems that arises when encountered with a dearth of accommodations for housing and offices.

December 9, 2015 - Centre for Cities

London Air Pollution

Does a Surprising Rise in Pollution Mean a Return of London's Pea-Soup Fog?

London Mayor Boris Johnson has tabled strict air-pollution controls until 2020 despite evidence of increasing pollution levels in the city's center.

November 10, 2015 - The New York Times

Barbican Flats, London, UK

London's Housing Market Now Swallowing-Up Commercial Uses

A proposed extension of a 2013 law allowing commercial conversion to residential uses is threatening to "accelerate the hollowing out" of London.

October 28, 2015 - The Guardian

Hackney Empire

What's the Value of a Music Venue in a Neighborhood? Let's Find Out

With market pressures pushing landowners in London to build pricey new flats, local music venues are getting the boot; but does this make sense economically?

October 14, 2015 - Citymetric

Why the Cereal Killer Café Struck Gentrification's Rawest Nerve in London

Recent controversies over high-priced restaurants and cafes in formerly working class neighborhoods reveal the deep connections between food and cultural identity.

October 6, 2015 - Pacific Standard

The Shard London

Skyscrapers as the Enemy of Cities

An op-ed in The Globe and Mail expresses animosity for the wave of skyscraper construction in old world cities like London.

September 26, 2015 - The Globe and Mail

Tin Pan Alley in London

Small Clubs Make Creative Hubs: the Importance of Live Music Venues

Cities like London are losing their creative edge because the small music venues that foster it are being pushed out.

September 17, 2015 - The Guardian

Security Issues Raised for U.S. Commuter and Intercity Trains

Friday's foiled attempt by an alleged terrorist to massacre civilians on a Paris-bound, high-speed Thalys train has raised fears that a similar attack could be launched on one of America's lesser-speed trains. Are current security measures adequate?

August 26, 2015 - The New York Times - U.S.

Google Celebrates the Birth of the Traffic Light

If you opened Google to do a search on Wednesday, you'd see an image (the "doodle") of a traffic light and six Model-T era cars spelling out the company's name. It was honoring the 101-year anniversary of the birth of the electric traffic light.

August 7, 2015 - Time

Shenzhen Crumbling Buildings

Op-Ed Decries the Idea of the 'Triumph of the City'

An unflinching op-ed begs a rethinking of narratives that cheer the "Triumph of the City." In the contemporary city, the argument goes, only the rich are better off from urbanization.

July 31, 2015 - Citymetric

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.