World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Awesome Infrastructure Projects Around the World

Unsurprisingly, most of the projects compiled by the company KPMG called "Infrastructure 100: World Cities Edition" are in expanding countries like China and Saudi Arabia. Tyler Falk pulls out some favorites.

July 7, 2012 - SmartPlanet

Mixed-Use for the Mixed-Up

What exactly is defined by mixed-use is often somewhat up to debate. Howard Blackson of Better Cities & Towns helps us clarify what the term "mixed-use" should really mean.

July 6, 2012 - Better Cities & Towns

Building a 'Slow' Streetcar to 'Speed' Development

A common criticism of streetcars are their relative slow speed combined with high capital and operating costs. Still, streetcars are being constructed in both large in small cities to help incentivize development.

July 6, 2012 - The Naked City

Disaster Planning Requires Social Safety Net

Nate Berg says that planners have a crucial role in making sure cities are prepared for natural disasters.

July 5, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Cities Built By Air-Conditioning

A device invented to cool factories changed where and how our cities formed.

July 2, 2012 - The Atlantic

A Tale of Two Shopping Centers

As the global recession continues to hit the global economy, shopping centers take on two distinct development patterns in developed and developing nations.

June 28, 2012 - Retail Traffic

Is Any City Truly Unique?

As new research data on cities pours in daily, interesting patterns emerge regarding income, green space and urban growth. Like people in their genetic make-up, are cities fundamentally all the same?

June 28, 2012 - The Economist

A Departure from Traditional Airport Design

Back in 2001, Jim Starry proposed a radical rethink of airport design, with inclined runways and gates on top of terminals and parking lots. Lost in the 9/11 shuffle, Sarah Rich takes a second look at the idea.

June 27, 2012 - Smithsonian

Facebook's New Infographic: Where Are We 'Checking In'?

Tyler Falk reports on new data released by Facebook, mapping the top 5 "social landmarks" in 25 cities from Seoul to São Paulo.

June 25, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Towers in the Park, 2012 Style

Julie V. Iovine laments that while walkability is the watchword of the day, architects have to design what they're hired to design -- and that often means designing iconic buildings that turn a blind eye to pedestrians.

June 24, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Transit Apps For People With Disabilities

Google Transit has changed the way people plan their public transportation trips. Now there's an app, OnTheBus, for people with visual, hearing, physical and cognitive impairments. Zak Stone describes the tool.

June 23, 2012 - Good

Friday Funny: A Lost Battle in the War Against Obesity

Just as Mayor Bloomberg had opened a striking new front in America's war on obesity with his ban on oversized soft drinks, a revolutionary "crisp-crusted, ooey-gooey" weapon of mass seduction has been unveiled, writes Rene Lynch.

June 22, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Newsflash: Something Has Been Accomplished at Rio+20

Andrew C. Revkin delivers the good news out of Rio, where global leaders are gathered to argue incessantly over how not to address climate change. At a side event, $175 billion in loans have been pledged for sustainable transportation.

June 21, 2012 - The New York Times

NPR Turns Its Attention to Cities

Announced this week by All Things Considered hosts Melissa Block and Robert Siegel, National Public Radio is launching a new series called the NPR Cities Project and they're asking listeners for their input.

June 21, 2012 - NPR

The Failures and Feats of a Leading Landscape Architect

Recent recipient of the ASLA's Gold Medal, landscape architect Laurie Olin shares some interesting opinions on his distinguished career, landscape urbanism, and the state of public space.

June 21, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Polls: Are You Listening?

What should planners take away from last week's barrage of polls about Americans' attitudes?

June 19, 2012 - PlaceShakers

The Intellectuals That've Had the Biggest Impact on Cities

Zócalo Public Square has gathered together four accomplished planning and development professionals to give their opinions on which scholar or intellectual of the last 50 years has had the greatest impact on the cities we live in today.

June 19, 2012 - Zocalo Public Square

Is Rio+20 a Lost Cause?

As world leaders gather in Rio this week to negotiate progress toward sustainable development, Thomas Lovejoy looks at the failures to comprehensively address global sustainability to date, and suggests some achievable goals for conference attendees.

June 19, 2012 - The New York Times

The More Cities Change...

Shelby Brown has collected a humorous and fascinating look at the common gripes of the ancient Roman city dweller. From from traffic jams to fashion requirements, many of these complaints will sound eerily modern.

June 19, 2012 - The Iris

Best Towers of 2012 Recognized

It seems a bit early in the year to be bestowing "best of" honors, but that hasn't stopped the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) from naming their best tall buildings of 2012. These towers are certainly worth paying attention to.

June 18, 2012 - Business Insider

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.

Comprehensive Bikeway Design Workshop

Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University

Early Bird Deadline – save on your tuition fee!🚨

Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)

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.