World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Coastal Towns Told to Radically Transform in Face of Sea Level Rise

Cities along the British coast are being warned that sea level rise over the next 100 years will have significant destructive effects. Officials are being cautioned to consider city-altering plans that shift populations away from endangered areas.

January 16, 2010 - Guardian

The World's Most Bike-Friendly Cities

AskMen.com has released a list of the world's top ten bike-friendly cities. Portland, Oregon is the one U.S. city to make the list.

January 15, 2010 - AskMen

Riders Choosing Trains as Green Alternative

In a world increasing concerned with reducing global warming, people and nations are embracing trains as an alternative to cars and planes because of their reduced carbon footprint. However, cost and time remain critical factors for travelers.

January 15, 2010 - CNN - Eco Solutions

Ocean Garbage Strategic Plan Released

Officials in Hawaii have unveiled a strategic plan for removing garbage and debris from the ocean near the Hawaiian Archipelago.

January 15, 2010 - The Honolulu Advertiser

Host City List Narrowed for U.S. World Cup Bid

In its bid to host the World Cup in either 2018 or 2022, the United States has narrowed its list of possible host cities down to 18. Notably missing are San Francisco and Chicago.

January 14, 2010 - Marketwatch

Planetizen Picks: Top Twitter Feeds on Urban Planning

Updated for Fall 2010, Planetizen's picks for the best news and observations about urban planning, design and development available on Twitter. Check out the new section of high-speed rail links, and visit our sister site www.hsrnews.com.

January 13, 2010 - Nate Berg

Virtual Billboards, Courtesy of Google

A patent filed by Google in 2008 illustrates a process where ads could be placed on buildings, marquees and billboards in Google Street View.

January 12, 2010 - ReadWriteWeb

Cruise Ship Utopia

The cruise ship Utopia will be a $1.1 billion dollar party boat that includes 200 homes for sale for $3.7 million and up. That is, if they can get enough buyers in a tough market.

January 12, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

Hot Architectural Style: Volcano-esque

Fast Company notes a growing number of green building proposals that look exactly like volcanoes.

January 8, 2010 - Fast Company

A Bright Outlook For Freight Railroads

While rail is known to be much greener than its competitor long-distance trucking, it is also a key component to globalization and big-box retail. This article spotlights the growth of Burlington Northern Santa Fe RR and the Port of Los Angeles.

January 5, 2010 - Los Angeles Times - Business

Smart Growth From the Environmental Perspective

Kaid Benfield of the NRDC reviews The Smart Growth Manual by Andres Duany, Jeff Speck and Mike Lydon. Benfield gives it high marks for style and substance, and for the way it incorporates environmental issues.

January 5, 2010 - NRDC Blog

Can Ailing Cities Attract the Creative Class?

In a scathing critique of Richard Florida, reporter Alec MacGillis claims that Florida's creative class strategies haven't worked for ailing cities around the country. Florida counters that the recession has changed the landscape.

January 4, 2010 - The American Prospect

Can Thorium Save Us?

Thorium is much cleaner, more efficient and safe than uranium, and doesn't leave any waste that can be weaponized. Could a thorium-based nuclear power industry save the U.S.?

January 4, 2010 - Wired

Bureaucratic Structures and the Collapse of Modern Society

Triple Canopy interviews architectural historian Kazys Varnelis about the importance of city data, the difficulty of building new infrastructure and how best to react to a stiflingly complex society.

January 1, 2010 - Triple Canopy

Top Planning Issues Of 2009

December 31, 2009 - Nate Berg

New Hydrogen Tech May Eliminate CO2 Problem

The current means of generating hydrogen for fuel results in a release of carbon dioxide emissions. Researchers think aluminum may be the solution to the pollution.

December 31, 2009 - greentechmedia

New Techniques for Preventing Levee Breaches

Breached levees are a major concern for riverside cities; New Orleans struggled with their disastrous results after Hurricane Katrina. While shoring and sandbagging have been relied upon in the past, new methods for stopping breaches are emerging.

December 31, 2009 - The Economist

Sub-Urban Planning

Triple Canopy translates a Chinese interview with Shu Yu, one of the world's foremost underground urban planners. He talks about the potential of underground space for urban habitation.

December 30, 2009 - Triple Canopy

Urban Data: The Second City

Looking at the city of Chicago and how it should approach the future, John Tolva writes about the potential for tapping into city data and embracing the "second city" it creates.

December 30, 2009 - IBM's Smarter Planet blog

Biggest Infrastructure News of the Decade - Part Two

The Infrastructurist finishes its list of the top infrastructure stories from the past decade.

December 30, 2009 - The Infrastructurist

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.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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.