Paris

How a Railway Near the Bastille Revolutionized How We Think About Obsolete Infrastructure

Joseph Heathcott presents a historical narrative of the decline, revitalization, and gentrification of the Parisian neighborhood surrounding the Promenade Plantée and Viaduct des Arts, the pioneering repurposing of obsolete urban infrastructure.

October 9, 2013 - JPER

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.

September 27, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

waterfront road in Paris transformed into pedestrian and lounging space

Paris Tests a New Approach to Urban Space

Any visitor from America would think that Paris had found the solution to creating great public spaces and taming the automobile. But the city's new approach to urban space suggests city leaders and residents feel otherwise.

September 21, 2013 - PPS: Placemaking Blog

View of sky reflected in windows of Tour Montparnasse in Paris

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?

September 19, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

What's Behind Bike Share's Skyrocketing Growth?

Earth Policy Institute's bike share charts allow readers to compare bike share programs in the U.S., now numbering 34 with 18,000 bikes. As impressive as it is, a comparison with bike share programs abroad put the numbers in perspective.

September 4, 2013 - Earth Policy Institute

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.

August 1, 2013 - The New York Times

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.

July 31, 2013 - BBC

Ça c'est Paris

Paris Set to Quadruple in Size

A new governance structure will integrate central Paris with its suburbs in order to facilitate regional planning for 6.5 million inhabitants across 124 municipalities.

July 30, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Broken Bike Helmet

Bike Helmets and Bike Share: Unhappy Marriage in Need of Divorce

The bike helmet requirement will ultimately destroy the success of the planned Seattle bike share program, writes Danny Westneat, Seattle Times staff columnist, after experiencing first-hand the world's most successful bike share program in Paris.

July 21, 2013 - The Seattle Times

Paris Is What People Want; How Can We Make More of It?

Hazel Borys concludes her whirlwind European travelog. This week: a look at the DNA of Paris, and how to replicate it elsewhere.

July 2, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Architect Ego Trip or Necessity for a Modern Metropolis? Paris Debates Skyscrapers

Following Mayor Bertrand Delanoe's overturn of a ban on buildings over seven storeys high, Paris is planning a dozen new skyscrapers outside the city centre. Debate over the towers is destined to become an issue in next year's municipal elections.

June 19, 2013 - BBC News

Place de la Republique

'Best Square' in Paris Returned to the People

Over the weekend, the $30 million revamp of Paris's iconic Place de la République opened to the public. By transforming the square from a place for cars into a place for people, Mayor Bertrand Delanoe has earned a distinguished "anti-car" label.

June 18, 2013 - The Guardian

Forgotten Freight Demands Frighten Transportation Planners

While much of the current discussion in planning centers on decreasing road capacity to promote greater pedestrian mobility, Eric Jaffe wonders if we are thinking enough about the critical and complex task of moving freight.

May 25, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Paris Develops for the 21st Century, Along its Periphery

After more than a decade of planning, the ambitious Clichy Batignolles project is rising in northwest Paris. The development is an attempt to stay competitive in the global marketplace, without compromising the city's world-renowned charms.

May 23, 2013 - The New York Times

Banlieues Now Seen as Bastions of Innovation

After years of neglect, periodic riots, and unfulfilled promises from the state, Paris's low-income suburbs are finally doing for themselves what had long been promised to them - creating opportunities for economic development and social integration.

May 15, 2013 - The New York Times

Urban Camouflage: Using Buildings to Disguise Infrastructure

The infrastructure necessary to keep a city's systems running can frankly get kind of ugly. See what some cities have done to help disguise unsightly infrastructure.

May 4, 2013 - WebUrbanist

Paris's Ring Road Turns 40, Is There Any Reason to Celebrate?

Paris's Boulevard Peripherique is one of the most clogged roadways in Europe, it delivers dangerous pollution to 100,000 people in its vicinity, and this year it turned 40. Lara Marlowe looks at the future for one of Paris's little loved landscapes.

May 3, 2013 - The Irish Times

How to Win at the 'Planning Game'

Julia Vitullo-Martin reviews Alexander Garvin's new book, "The Planning Game," which examines four case studies for lessons on how shrewd investments in the public realm can revitalize a city.

April 15, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Urban Explorers

Place Hackers Explore Urban Space to Reclaim It

Matthew Power profiles Bradley L. Garrett, Ph.D. and his "research subjects," who are active participants in the urban explorer movement, which aims to "rediscover, reappropriate, and reimagine the urban landscape."

March 11, 2013 - GQ

Hollande Embraces Greater Paris Plan

To the surprise of many, a change in governments has failed to derail former president Nicolas Sarkozy's ambitious "Greater Paris" plan for an expanded transit network linking the French capital to its suburbs.

March 9, 2013 - The Guardian

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.