Planetizen Newswire
Keep up with essential planning news and commentary, delivered to your inbox every Monday and Thursday.
World
A novel approach to quantifying the world's urban population provides insight into a changing world.
Next City
New research shows that excessive noise levels have significant negative impacts on heart health.
The Atlantic
While we're still far from a Jetsons-style reality, understated autonomous features could be the key to safer transportation.
City Monitor
The YouTube channel Engineering Explained takes on one of the big questions in a post-fossil-fuel transportation future.
Engineering Explained
As bad as the power outages are in Texas, they would be much worse if the independent energy grid operator hadn't initiated rolling blackouts. In an extensive interview with CBS Austin, Bill Magness, the head of ERCOT, explains what went wrong.
CBS Austin
All the coronavirus data is moving in the right direction in most of the U.S., yet 130,000 additional Americans are projected to die from COVID-19 by June according to one widely used model.
CNN
What does it mean to be a 15-minute city?
CNU Public Square
If vaccinations are key to ending the pandemic, Israel may get there first as it has the highest rate by far of any nation. Paradoxically, it also has the world's second-highest rate of daily new COVID-19 cases.
The New York Times
A new book spotlights how bird-friendly design makes for healthier and more pleasant cities for all species.
Fast Company
Coronavirus infection, hospitalizations and most recently, deaths, are declining, but public health experts warn that more transmissible variant strains of the coronavirus threaten to overwhelm hospitals in the next few months.
CIDRAP News
The history of planning is dominated by a few iconic figures—all white.
Planning Magazine
Feature
The nation is now tasked with the challenge of changing course in the middle of multiple, global crises. The necessity of finding a way to overcome the failures of the past and lay the groundwork for a new kind of future has never been more clear.
With coronavirus Infections decreasing and vaccinations increasing throughout the nation, health and science reporters are writing about what the end of the pandemic may look like—from a disease perspective.
National Geographic
Research suggests maximizing airflow during shared car rides vastly reduces the risk of transmission.
The New York Times
Words matter. Road safety advocates know that "crashes are not accidents." Similarly, calling coronavirus restrictions "lockdowns," fails to distinguish the severity among public health orders. On January 6, America experienced a true lockdown.
NPR
Impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic are reverberating through cities around the world. The Penn Institute for Urban Research asked 20 urban experts what the lasting effects will be and how we can rebuild equitably and sustainably.
Penn IUR Urban Link
If the combined effects of winter's cold and the pandemic has you bummed, check out this community-building exercise in the frozen North.
PlaceShakers
Feature
Simon Winchester's new book, Land, brings global scope to the concepts of land use.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is partnering with electric aviation startup Archer to mass-produce flying automobiles, really more like helicopters or drones. General Motors also released designs for an autonomous flying car recently.
Quartz
For the first time in the pandemic, over 4,000 Americans died on one day, January 7, from a disease that had no name before Feb. 11, 2020.
The Washington Post
