World
Global issues, U.N., etc.
Sustainable Practices Find a Home in the Americas
Whether in Cupertino, Calif. or Curitiba, Brazil, cities are starting an aggressive move toward sustainability in the Americas. In this evolution, technology, citizen involvement and innovation will play a role transforming cities, Leon Kaye writes.
The Environmental Impact of New Cars
The new "Eco-Drive Index" offers a mode of comparing the average monthly environmental impact by an individual U.S. driver who has purchased a new vehicle that month.
Cities Ready for Climate Change
This top 10 list from Grist highlights the global cities best prepared to handle climate change.
Stress in the City
A new study looks at how growing up and living in cities can affect how people process stress.
Using Technology to Advance Sustainability in Cities
Providing wifi on public transit and encouraging people to Check In with their smart phones are two of the three examples cities could implement to bring people closer together.
On Community Happiness
Considering the Declaration of Independence and its mention of the "inalienable right" of "happiness", Kaid Benfield wonders what the pursuit of happiness can and should mean for communities.
The Technology for a Dialogue Between Citizens and Cities
Technology must be harnessed in cities to allow citizens to "talk back" to cities and enable more user-driven change, according to this op-ed from economist Saskia Sassen.
The Ambiguous City
Todd Reisz reviews "Living in the Endless City," a collection edited by Ricky Burdett, which looks at urban issues in Sao Paulo, Mumbai and Istanbul.
The Changing Role of Globalized Cities
National Geographic Traveler talks with urban theorist Richard Florida about the changing roles of cities, and the emerging centers of economic prosperity.
FEMA Trailers 2.0
A Japanese company has released a self-sustaining, solar-powered emergency structure to rival all others. Once set up, it can run on its own off the grid for an entire month.
Obama Taps Into Strategic Oil Reserve
With the flow of Libyan oil at a stalemate, the President ordered the release of 60 million barrels over the next 30 days to keep the world supply stable and gas prices from increasing.
A Neighborhood of Stairs
The La Independencia neighborhood in Medellin, Colombia sprawls up a hillside, leaving the inhabitants to walk up to 10 flights of stairs every day. An ambitious development program is considering building an outdoor network of escalators.
Which is Greener: Urban Farms or Urban Density?
Edward Glaeser adds "large-scale metropolitan farming" to a list -- which also includes historic preservation -- of barriers to densifying urban development patterns. His argument is that the latter is the greener of the two.
Reviewing Recent Books on Cities
In reviewing a handful of new books looking at cities and how they work, this piece from The New Yorker glosses over the current thinking behind the urban conversation and wonders if city celebration has gone too far.
A Shopping Merry-Go-Round
Modern Mechanics Magazine featured a strange idea for circulating people throughout a shopping mall called the "Revolator" that moved people up and around in glass boxes so they could see into stores.
Cheap(er) Gas Prices On Horizon
Gas prices have been dropping for a month. According to the chief oil analyst with the Oil Price Information Service in this radio interview, expect prices to continue dropping to as low as $3.25 a gallon, but don't expect lower than $3.00.
Bike-Sharing Is Safer Than Riding Your Own Bike
In city after city, cyclists are hit, injured, and killed less often when using bike-sharing than when riding their personal bicycles.
Jan Gehl on Safety
Want to prevent crime and keep people safe in traffic? Jan Gehl says the solution is to mix up pedestrians, bikes and cars into "shared spaces."
A Call for More Pedestrian-Only Streets
Jay Walljasper says U.S. cities are greatly lacking in pedestrian-only shopping districts, and points to their success in Europe as a model.
The Importance of Corners
Chuck Wolfe focuses on the role of the urban corner, terming it "the central place of urban life".
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
