World
Global issues, U.N., etc.
The Top 10 Most Global Cities
Emily Peck counts down the top ten most global cities now that more than half the world's population is urbanized. The 21st century will be dominated by the city, writes Parag Khanna. “The age of nations is over. The new urban age has begun.”
The Streetcar Solution
In a long excerpt from his new book Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities: Design Strategies for the Post Carbon World, Patrick Condon explains the advantages of streetcars, where they went, and why we should bring them back.
Urban Living Linked To Heightened Risk of Schizophrenia
For some time researchers have noticed more instances of non-affective psychosis in urban populations than in rural groups. Now the American Medical Association has found "certain elements of city living raise the risk of developing schizophrenia."
Urbanization Multiplies The Phenomenon of Strangers
Kio Stark, professor at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program explains lucidly how strangers and cities are "inherently intertwined."
Creating Livable Cities
This episode of The Diane Rehm Show explores efforts underway to make the world's cities more livable.
Smart Growth = Clean Air
Kaid Benfield presents the evidence that compact development can bring about a decrease in noxious emissions.
The City: Beautiful?
Is it okay yet to talk about cities and beauty in the same breath? Teacher Karrie Jacobs finds an astonishing lack of reading material for her class on aesthetic beauty and the built environment.
The Biggest in the World
Through a comparison of large buildings like the Burj Dubai and large roadside attractions like the world's "largest pecan", Keith Eggener explores the drive towards big-ness.
Reframing the Human Relationship with Water
Urban runoff and contaminated water are creating major ecological damage, even in the United States. One design competition has the goal of rethinking how we handle this crucial resource.
Why Hasn't PRT Caught On?
Personal rapid transit (PRT) has faced some challenges, says Curtis Johnson, not the least of which is the U.S.'s lack of "moonshot-mojo".
The Global Challenge of Unsafe Water
Unclean and unsafe water is an increasingly vexing problem for the world's cities, which are struggling to meet the needs of rapidly growing populations. But there has been some positive work in developing countries.
An Urban Framework Based on the Slum
Many people have argued that global cities can take lessons from informal communities like Dharavi and the favelas of Brazil. Designers Pavlina Ilieva and Kuo Pao Lian have created a new framework for city development based on these informal cities.
The Example of Miami, a Global City
Miami could be the next major American city, and one that other global cities should try to emulate, according to this interview with economist Saskia Sassen.
Mobile Devices Could Prompt Rise in City Living
This post from The Atlantic suggests that mobile devices and the ability to connect them with the Internet will help lure more people into cities.
The Myth of the City
In this essay from Lapham's Quarterly, Lewis Lapham muses on the nature of the city: how it is perceived, by whom and for whom; and how it incubates new ideas and facilitates democracy.
Legalizing and Protecting Jaywalkers Through Design
Most crosswalks are straight lines, but many people walk across streets in an arc. One designer has proposed changing the way crosswalks are painted to improve pedestrian safety.
The Beauty of Public Spaces
A new book by Robert Gatje gives public squares and piazzas the coffee-table treatment, meticulously detailing what makes these historic spaces work.
Cities With the Most Pedestrian Deaths
GOOD Magazine has an infographic illustrating the world cities with the most pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 residents. Unsurprisingly, 3 American cities are at the top of the list.
The Big Digs of the 21st Century
Jerry Soverinsky picks the most ambitious transportation projects of the century so far, from a tunnel in Turkey to an ice road in Canada.
Our 3D Augmented Future
"Augmented Reality" is currently a smart phone phenomenon that uses the phone's camera to overlay visual data on real spaces. Architecture student Keiichi Matsuda imagines a future where our visual space is completely overtaken by augmented reality.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
