World
Global issues, U.N., etc.
Insurance Firm Warns of Coming Peak Oil Crisis
The world of business is underestimating the catastrophic consequences of declining oil, says a new report from Lloyd's of London/Chatham House.
Stackable Agriculture
Famed architect Richard Meier was commissioned by Wallpaper Magazine to design a model for raising animals in an urban environment. The result is a design with agriculture stacked up on different planes of a skyscraper.
For Lack of a Better Term
Chuck Wolfe discusses the challenge of finding a more marketable term to encompass all of the prevailing theories of "transit-oriented development", "walkability", and "liveability." His suggestion? Urbandwidth.
False Friendliness: Photoshopped People in Public Spaces
Proposals for new projects arrive on city desks everyday showing vibrant public plazas full of people. But too often those spaces fail to attract people in the way they were portrayed. Are Photoshopped people a deliberate falsehood?
Defusing The Population Bomb Myth
To mark "World Population Day", Grist published this commentary by environmental writer Fred Pearce who asks environmentalists not to fall in the Malthusian trap of blaming population, not consumption.
Playing with Ridership Numbers
Jarrett Walker argues that reports of the decline of public transportation ridership have been exaggerated.
Natural Gas Will Play Much Larger Energy Role
In this WSJ Opinion, MIT professor and former under secretary of Energy John Deutch explains how the BP gusher and discovery of vast supplies of unconventional natural gas will combine to increase natural gas energy usage by replacing coal, then oil.
Ten Most Terrifying Airports in The World
The Web Urbanist counts down the ten most hair raising airports. "Flying may be one of the safest methods of travel but it doesn't always look that way."
Would You Pay To Sit On A Public Bench?
Designer Fabian Brunsing is responsible for "Pay & Sit: The Private Bench." Basically, it's a bench covered in metal spikes that retract when you feed it money.
Russia: Now With American-Style Suburbanism
With the Russian spies being sent home, Clifford J. Levy wondered if they'd miss the comforts of U.S.-style suburban living. What he found is that today's Russia has imitated the way of life, including gated communities with American names.
The Importance of Kiosks and Carts
This piece from Re:Place looks at the urban impact of kiosks and food carts.
Emissions-Eating Roads
A new report says that roads embedded with titanium dioxide can help purify the air by absorbing 25 to 45 percent of nitrogen oxides emitted by cars.
Take A Floating Hotel Across the Ocean
Designer Nick Talbot, who worked on Virgin Galactic projects, is proposing a floating hotel he's calling "Aircruise" which would take a leisurely 37 hour journey between London and New York.
Bamboo, the Miracle Homebuilding Material
Bamboo homes survive earthquakes and typhoons, it grows like a weed, and has twice the compression strength of concrete. Elisabeth Best reports on the wonder material and the image problem bamboo must overcome to be used more widely.
Tracking City Issues Through Read/Write Urbanism
Adam Greenfield looks at issue tracking systems for cities, and suggests that they can be taken a step farther by adding unique identifiers to urban infrastructure that automatically notifies city systems when problems arise.
An Eye on the Cities of the Future
Designing the city of the future has long been the playground of architects and planners. A New York non-profit design group led by architect Mitchell Joachim keeps that tradition alive.
Designing Cars for Future Megacities
With the global urban population on the rise and cities expected to become densely populated mega-cities, automakers are trying to design cars for future cities.
Activism and Architecture
Architects Anu Mathur and Dilip da Cunha say that activism drives their work: "Rather than waiting for a commissioned project, we ask the first question, frame the issue and propose possibilities," say the two in an interview with PLACES.
Can Color Make Bike Lanes Safer?
A Portland study shows that bicyclists feel 50% safer when biking in a solid blue bike lane rather than just the classic dotted line. Could color make that much of a difference?
Bike Highways, Boulevards, and Infrastructure
The idea of separated bicycle lanes is growing in popularity. Tom Vanderbilt at Slate looks at the increase in investment and attention to making room for bicycles and increasing safety so more people will ride.
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
