United Kingdom
How Images Shape our Understanding of Places
An article by Ben Campkin, Marina Mogilevich, and Rebecca Ross examines how images shape ideas about cities—from "John Snow’s Cholera map to Le Corbusier's plan for a contemporary city and Moose's 'clean graffiti.'"
How Bicyclists Paved the Way for the Rise of the Automobile
Sarah Goodyear shares insight into a book by Carlton Reid titled "Roads Were Not Built for Cars," which details the secret history of the bicyclists that helped launch the fledgling automobile industry in the late 19th century.
Outdoor Gyms Burn Calories, Harness Energy
A new type of public workout station harnesses the energy from people exercising and inserts it into the local energy network.
London's Garden Bridge Gates Public Access
The approval process is revealing more details about a garden bridge designed by Thomas Heatherwick in London—what has emerged is less a park than a tourist attraction.
The Undeniable Urbanism of the 'Plot'
According to researchers and practitioners in the United Kingdom, there's still room for another urbanism. Chuck Wolfe digests the recent Summit on Plot-Based Urbanism from Glasgow.
Invention Could Turn Leftover Transit Fares into Charity Donations
How much money goes unused in the form of spare change leftover on transit cards around the world? One invention would allow those fares to go to charity instead of washing away in the laundry or at the bottom of the dump.
Cities Don't Have to Damage Hearing
Henry Grabar writes of the movement to design better sounds for urban environments.
Occupy Democracy in Parliament Square
A recent protest movement to reuse London’s Parliament Square as a space for political discourse has been met with oppressive policing.
U.K. Pins Economic Growth on Metropolitan Areas
A new plan is afoot in Britain that will devolve centralized power away from central government and out into metropolitan areas. Bruce Katz sees lessons for the United States in the experience of United Kingdom.
Green Belts Cure Sprawl, Cause Problems
Touted as a solution to mindless suburban expansion, the vast green belts around U.K. cities create new challenges. Among them: less affordable housing, longer commutes, and dubious environmental benefits. What happens if these spaces get developed?
Pilot 20 mph Speed Limit Shows Multiple Benefits
A press release announcing the results of Edinburgh, Scotland's 20-mph speed limit pilot finds multiple benefits in walking, biking, and the number of children allowed outside.
Playable Cities Bring the Fun Back to City Life
Supporters and practitioners of the playable city movement will gather this week at a conference in Bristol, UK called Making the City Playable.
London's Height Debate Reaches Fever Pitch
In the midst of a building boom and expecting another 1.4 million residents to live in the city by 2031, London is embroiled in a debate about how it should meet housing demands.
Interpreting the 'Timeless and Time-Bound' in Cities
In his latest essay on interpretation of the urban environment, Chuck Wolfe suggests that if we take away context clues cities become matrices -- with blank cells to complete -- where each of us personalizes how space meets time.
How 'Share the Road' Campaigns Distract from the Real Problems of Traffic Safety
Following a close call on his bike, a writer questions the perverted logic of safety campaign slogans that share, equally, the onus for traffic safety between cars and bikes.
Debate: How Much should 'Starchitects' be Faulted for Urban Ills?
In response to a recent polemic by Witold Rybczynski against the global proliferation of iconic but disconnected projects by starchitects, the New York Times hosts a debate that addresses the question: Are superstar architects ruining city skylines?
Study Finds Benefit in Proximity to Bike Lanes: 45 Minutes of Exercise a Week
Researchers in the United Kingdom have found that people who live near bike lanes are more likely to exercise—45 minutes more exercise per week, in fact.
An App that Calculates the Most Beautiful Route
New in flaneur-enabling technology: a team of intrepid aesthetes in Barcelona is working on a new app that would advance GPS mapping tools by providing the most beautiful route to a destination, rather than the shortest or least congested route.
In Progress: London's 'Pedestrian Safety Action Plan'
Like cities in the United States—most notably, New York City—London is working to improve walkability while reducing pedestrian fatalities. The policy that will direct London in these efforts, the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, is still taking shape.
Study: Diverse Neighborhoods Support Mental Health for the Elderly
A study published in Health & Place finds that those seeking good mental health well into their golden years should look to diverse neighborhoods rather than gated communities.
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.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
