World

Kelly Morphy provides tips and strategies on improving civic engagement - the key to healthy communities and desired outcomes.

October 18, 2012 - Better Cities & Towns

A movement to shed light on the worldwide loss of dark skies aims to minimize light pollution in order to increase public opportunities for stargazing, while also serving as a money-saving measure for cities, reports Kate Galbraith.

October 18, 2012 - The New York Times

Is the idea of "farming up" really taking off? Vertical farming could yield long-term environmental benefits, but still faces many obstacles.

October 18, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Rachel James speaks with historian Jennifer Gray about the impact that Disney's "particular brand of nostalgic, comforting architecture and urbanism" has had on the way people experience the city and professionals plan for it.

October 17, 2012 - SmartPlanet

Historian Daniel London argues that by "excavating a 'usable past'" urbanists can find relevant, cutting edge ideas for solving the seemingly unprecedented challenges of global urbanization.

October 16, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

Is Clay Chapman the Joel Salatin of homebuilding? At $80/SF for a custom, multi-century, structural masonry and timber frame home, he just might be. Scott Doyon enumerates the similarities, and challenges others to get involved.

October 16, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Mark Byrnes has collected images of 16 innovative parking garages whose inspirational designs prove that accommodating the automobile doesn't necessarily mean neglecting the neighborhood.

October 13, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Get lost in the details when explaining zoning reform? Hazel Borys puts forth a pictorial review that helps.

October 13, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Scientists are studying whether the stresses of living in urban environments increases the risks of developing mental health disorders. Global urbanization is making the question an urgent one, writes Alison Abbott.

October 12, 2012 - Nature

This collection of images of buildings shaped like animals brings new meaning to the term "architectural petting zoo."

October 11, 2012 - Flavorwire

Ever wonder how the greenhouse gas emissions of your home compare to your neighbor's, or the supermarket down the street, or the office tower you work in? New software helps visualize such information in three dimensions across an entire city.

October 10, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Lissette Valdez looks at two new applications that are helping to blur the lines between digital and hand drawn designs.

October 10, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Ben Brown argues that design adaptations intended to accommodate America's swelling senior population by "aging in place" will be unable, on their own, to meet the challenge. He looks at one model of support that goes beyond universal design.

October 9, 2012 - PlaceShakers

An emerging field of public interest design embeds architects and designers in communities that wouldn't otherwise be able to afford good design.

October 8, 2012 - The New York Times

A new study by the Reason Foundation evaluates wind power and finds that wind power is limited in practice due to the increased need for power storage, the decrease in grid reliability, and the increased operating costs.

October 8, 2012 - Reason Foundation

The Hubble Space Telescope has been busy for the past decade. After looking at the same spot in the sky for a total of 2 million seconds it has produced what NASA calls the "farthest-ever" portrait of the universe, reports Rebecca J. Rosen.

October 5, 2012 - The Atlantic

In the triple bottom line of profits, planet, and people, it's people that tend to get the shaft. Scott Doyon lays out seven ways to change that.

October 5, 2012 - PlaceShakers

At the ASLA 2012 Annual Meeting, a panel of distinguished design critics discussed the need for landscape architecture to take on a greater leadership role in the planning and design of cities.

October 5, 2012 - THE DIRT

Zoning reform is a political campaign. Coder Susan Henderson talks about audience dynamics, with a special focus on how to communicate with property owners and the developer community.

October 2, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Elisabeth Rosenthal reflects on the deterrent to cycling, and the use of bike-sharing systems, posed by mandatory bike helmet laws. Does the rare serious injury prevented by a helmet outweigh discouraging cycling's wider health benefits?

October 1, 2012 - The New York Times