United Kingdom

According to Alain de Botton, religion shouldn't get to claim the most beautiful buildings, so he proposes a temple for anything else "positive and good," right in the center of London.

February 2, 2012 - Fast Company

An inspiration for Ebenezer Howard and the first urban planning conference in Britain or America, Amanda Kolson Hurley looks at how Bournville has evolved.

January 17, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Despite strong opposition from homeowners and environmentalists, the UK Government has just approved an ambitious investment in high speed rail linking London with Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds.

January 12, 2012 - The Guardian

Rowan Moore judges the return of the "huge" housing estate in the shape of the 2012 Olympics Athletes' Village in London.

January 12, 2012 - The Observer

Known as 'The Shard', the new skyscraper being built in London will have 72 floors, and stand 1,017 feet. Both opponents and critics agree: The building will "change London -- for centuries."

January 10, 2012 - Spiegel Online

A new technology enables pedestrian behavior and flow to be monitored continuously using mobile phone technology. Its use in US and UK shopping centers has consumer rights activists worried.

January 9, 2012 - The Guardian

International company IKEA, known for their low-cost design furniture, will develop a 26-acre complete London neighborhood.

December 16, 2011 - The Pop-Up City

British entrepreneur Roger Wade has built "[t]he most environmentally friendly shopping mall ever built." 'Boxpark,' which recently opened, is composed of 60 standard size shipping containers stacked two stories high by five rows wide.

December 7, 2011 - CNN

A new book called The Lure of the City argues that planners today have "a lack of ambition" and argues against the "[Jane] Jacobs-influenced orthodoxy."

November 24, 2011 - The Financial Times

It may seem counter-intuitive, but "shared space" advocates say cars and bikes will get in fewer accidents if barriers and traffic lane markets are removed. London's Exhibition Road will open next month using this design concept.

November 17, 2011 - GOOD Magazine

Foster + Partners reveal a utopian transit master plan so massive that it requires us to consider it "on a level that transcends appearance." The design seeks to streamline connections to the rest of the world through subterranean engineering.

November 15, 2011 - The Atlantic

The plan to create a floating public space along the Thames is a great idea, writes critic Rowan Moore, but the proposed London River Park will suffer from its private ownership and management.

November 14, 2011 - The Guardian U.K.

Grist profiles a British street artist who specializes in creating images on dirty urban spaces (like tunnel walls) by simply washing away the grime.

November 5, 2011 - Grist

The Prince of Wales, as covered here and elsewhere, has gotten a reputation for using his position to meddle in architecture and planning decisions in the U.K. The report now is he extends that power far deeper into U.K. politics.

November 1, 2011 - The Guardian U.K.

London's chief planning officer says that after the current sequence of skyscrapers is built, it is likely that "...we will not see new ones planned."

October 30, 2011 - The Independent

Olympic Planners have just ten months left to prepare for an anticipated 15 million trips a day during the event in an already congested city. So far, about 6.5 billion pounds ($10.2 billion) has been invested.

October 23, 2011 - The Washington Post

How is the City of London incentivizing bike and ped commuters for helping improve the air? There's an App for that.

October 17, 2011 - Fast Company

On Tuesday, the UK announced the creation of a green infrastructure program, intended to press planners and deveopers to infuse spaces with greenery. Writes Peter Walker, the benefits are beyond aesthetic--they're economic as well.

October 12, 2011 - The Guardian

This Big City readers offer their ideas, from infrastructure-related to marketing, to encourage cycling among more casual riders in London.

September 30, 2011 - This Big City

According to this article in The Guardian U.K., fewer and fewer young adults age 17-20 are seeking a driver's license and car ownership, signalling "peak car".

September 26, 2011 - The Guardian U.K.