Berlin
The Plaza: What Makes a Community Living Room?
The Plaza can behave as the community living room. Why is this so hard to get right in post-WWII U.S.?
Study Finds Economic Value in Urban-Dwelling Birds
Researchers at the University of Washington and Humboldt State University have produced evidence value added by birds in urban settings.
Urbanism: Nothing to Fear
Scott Bernstein, president of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, talks planes, trains, and automobiles, in an urban industrial context.
Urban Planners Should Be More Like Party Planners
Urban planners like the nightlife. They like to boogie. But one researcher argues that planners should better understand how to balance the positive and negative effects of a bustling nightlife.
Is Housing 'Baggage' Holding America Back?
Throwing money at our housing problems is clearly not the answer, but are there ideas from markets in Europe that might work for us?
Berliner Kinder: Berlin and its 'Playborhoods'
Are you thinking about playborhoods, playsheds, and free-range kids? Berlin's Kolle 37 hits it out of the park. Literally.
Lessons Learned from Berlin Shopfronts
Susan Henderson looks to Berlin's delectable shopfronts for pointers. Not from the usual suspects like Kurfürstendamm and Friedrichstrasse, but from the neighborhoods of Prenzlaur Berg, Scheunenviertal, Kreuzberg, and of course, Hackeschen Höfe.
Artisan Manufacturing Mixes Uses with Residential
Looking to integrate artisan manufacturing into a residential neighborhood? Berlin examples provide a few pointers, via Hazel Borys.
The Cost of 'Cool'
Thomas Rogers writes of the "Life and Death of a 'Cool' City," using the example of Berlin and the many "new Berlins" that have endeavored to follow its lead as the next big thing in Europe.
Urban River Revitalization Across the Globe
Urban Times offers a list of 13 urban river renewal projects spanning from Medellin to Manila.
Time Running Out for Climate Change Action, Warns IPCC
In its second major report since 2007, the U.N. panel's report was not all bad news. It noted that while nations may be slow to agree to climate treaties, city and state governments have written their own climate plans along with the private sector.
Does Privatizing Water Systems Make Sense?
Private financing of water systems goes at least as far back as ancient Rome. But as the number of people served by private water companies grows, some cities that have tasted privatization have found it lacking.
Does a 'Palace of Parking' Deserve to be Preserved?
The owners of a Weimar-era parking garage in Berlin that's beloved by modernist enthusiasts are seeking to have its landmark status revoked in order to tear it down. Will officials forgo an opportunity to preserve the German capital's recent past?
The Impact of Memory on the Experience of Place
Charles Montgomery discusses the findings of a fascinating study on the responses of residents and visitors to different environments in New York, Berlin and Mumbai. The results hint at the impact of experience and memory on how we perceive a place.
What Makes Berlin’s Cultural Clusters Sing?
Last week, PlaceMaker Hazel Borys explored the comfortable charms of London. This week her whirlwind travelog continue with this study of Berlin's cultural clusters. Get your public space on!
Examining Europe's Attraction to Historical Pastiche
Lost amid the protests and heavy-handed police response throughout Turkey is the original debate over the proposed reconstruction of an historic military barracks in Gezi Park. Feargus O’Sullivan says such debates are playing out across Europe.
German Development Debacles Give Architecture a Bad Name
Architects Christoph Ingenhoven, Meinhard von Gerkan and Pierre de Meuron, designers of three of Germany's most disastrous developments speak about their troubled projects and the damage inflicted on the status of architecture in the country.
A Ride Through Berlin's 'Underground Art Gallery'
The variety of designs found in the Berlin subway's 173 stations imbibes each one with its own unique identity. Cataloging this 'underground art gallery' has been the mission of photographer Kate Seabrook.
Airbnb Draws Tourists Off the Beaten Path
Airbnb connects travelers from around the world to unique rentable spaces. With the recent launch of a "Neighborhoods" feature, Airbnb has the potential to redirect tourist spending to often overlooked areas.
Turning Kids Into Planners
An experiment in Germany engages kids to build micro-cities as playgrounds. The idea is coming to downtown Philadelphia.
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
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
