World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Google Faces

Friday Eye Candy: Is That Mountain Range Staring at Me?

Google Faces is a fun, and slightly freaky, project that plays off of humans' penchant for seeing faces in everything by testing if a computer could do the same.

June 14, 2013 - Wired

Why Bike Share is a Boon to the Safety of All Cyclists

Counter to the predictions of mass chaos due to inexperienced riders being unleashed on city streets, the launch of bike-sharing in New York and elsewhere increases safety for all cyclists.

June 14, 2013 - The New York Times

The Enduring Allure of Urban Environments

Even if the swelling modern metropolis doesn't reflect the gleaming city of science fiction, Edwin Heathcote finds much to be optimistic about with regard to the future of cities on a rapidly urbanizing planet.

June 14, 2013 - The Financial Times

LEED-ND Proves Effective at Reducing Driving

Using complex transportation modeling, new research published in the Journal of Planning Education and Research confirms that developments built to the standards of LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) reduce driving and associated emissions.

June 13, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard Blog

Graduation Ceremony

Graduating Into the Workplace: Perspectives from Recent Planning Grads

As a new cohort of young planners prepares to enter the field, more than a dozen recent graduates share their insights on how to make the most of a planning education and navigate one of the most challenging job environments in recent memory.

June 12, 2013 - Erica Gutiérrez

A Streetcar to Desire: An Argument for Converting Roads to Rails

Terra Nova author Eric W. Sanderson builds a refreshingly wonky case for a modern streetcar revival.

June 12, 2013 - Places Journal

How Much of the World's Urbanization is Being Driven by Overseas Land Acquisitions?

Since 2006, agro-businesses, hedge-funds, financial firms, and government agencies have splurged on an overseas land-buying binge. As Saskia Sassen explains, such purchases disrupt the status quo, forcing local residents to migrate to cities.

June 11, 2013 - The Guardian

Coal Mining and Power Station

4 Measures Could Help Stave Off the Worst Effects of Global Warming

A new report from the International Energy Agency has some sobering news about the planet's record setting carbon emissions. But it also identifies four policy recommendations that could help stave off warming in excess of the dreaded 2°C mark.

June 10, 2013 - The Washington Post

The Architectural Image: Who's Fooling Whom?

The architectural image is the currency of contemporary architecture. It's the means by which projects are envisioned, sold, and judged. But is the quest for the perfect image harming Architecture?

June 8, 2013 - Arch Daily

Augmented Architecture: The Ultimate Expression of Function Over Form?

Zachary Edelson speculates on the ways in which Google Glass, and other augmented reality elements, will change the way we experience architecture and our environments.

June 5, 2013 - Architizer

Abandonment, Authenticity, and Transgressive Placemaking

Kelly Bennett writes on the connections between authentic places, abandonment, and a new wave of placemaking.

June 5, 2013 - Citiography

Google Blimps to Bring Internet Access to Remote Regions

With the privacy concerns that've arisen with its questionable data gathering, many people are unlikely to welcome the idea of a Google blimp floating overhead. But the billion people the company wants to connect to the Internet may feel differently.

June 4, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Visualizing Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions

A new infographic shows in elegant detail exactly how much individual sources and sectors contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions. Brad Plumer parses the data.

June 1, 2013 - The Washington Post

Friday Eye Candy: 19 Fascinating City Maps

Lauren Drell at Mashable has rounded up 19 (or is it 21?) 'dynamic, real-time and compelling visualizations of how we live and move.'

May 31, 2013 - Mashable

Global Roads Safer, But U.S. Performs Poorly

A study from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development shows that traffic fatalities across the world have reached an all-time low. However roads in the U.S. are less safe than in 28 other countries, including Serbia and Greece.

May 30, 2013 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

The World's Top Travel Destinations

Planning a trip to Bangkok this year? If so, you're not alone. The Thai capital tops MasterCard's new ranking of the world's most visited cities, with nearly 16 million tourists expected to see the city this year.

May 29, 2013 - The Atlantic

Google Maps Store

Will Google Maps Destroy Public Space?

With the latest redesign of Maps, Google is personalizing the mapping experience to reflect the places we, and our friends, frequent. In doing so, will the technology giant eliminate serendipitous "entanglements" from the urban experience?

May 28, 2013 - Slate

Lighting Designers Project a Bright Future for Our Cities

Utilizing new approaches and new technologies for illuminating the built environment, lighting designers are helping to create safer, more dynamic, and more accessible cities.

May 27, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper

Prefab is Having a Moment; Can it Sustain the Momentum?

With a modular high-rise planned for Brooklyn, a modular design winning Manhattan's micro-unit apartment competition, and several other prefabricated buildings on the drawing board throughout the U.S., prefab is getting a relook.

May 26, 2013 - The New York Times

Urban Ruins and the High Line Next Door

Chuck Wolfe suggests we all have the inspiration within us to envision how to remake our cities--from the conjecture of a Seattle restauranteur about Seattle's monorail to neighborhood examples of "we used this before, let's use it again".

May 26, 2013 - Crosscut

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.

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.