World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Will You be Driving an iMo or a Mo-Du-Lo?

Huffington Post offers a slide show of finalists in the 2010 Michelin Challenge to come up with the electric cars of the future. The radical designs include unicycles, rolling spheres and designs based on flying fish.

February 11, 2010 - Huffington Post

Women, Transit, and the Perception of Safety

February 11, 2010 - Tim Halbur

10 Ways to Boost Neighborhood Pride

Kyla Fullenwider offer ten simple ideas to improve the livability of your block.

February 10, 2010 - Good

One Latvian Town For Sale, Cheap

A secret Russian military facility abandoned by the Russian military when the Soviet Union collapsed was sold at auction on Friday by the Latvian government. Officials celebrated the sale and hoped it could bring new life to the empty town.

February 6, 2010 - The Huffington Post

How We Eat May Be Biggest Impact of Urbanization on Nature

This post from The Nature Conservancy examines the impact of urbanization on nature and finds that our rising food needs will be one of the most important implications.

February 3, 2010 - The Nature Conservancy

How Mobile Apps Will Change Your City

Gigaom looks at a handful of "augmented reality" apps, both current and projected, that create an interface between the internet and the world around us.

February 3, 2010 - Gigaom

Amoeba Design Efficient Transit System

The growth patterns of amoebae as they spread out to connect to food sources bears a striking resemblance to the map of a rail system. Some say the amoeba could inform urban planners and designers.

January 29, 2010 - MSNBC

Bringing Context to Architectural Photography

This piece from The New York Times profiles architectural photographer Iwan Baan, whose style differs from the status quo to emphasize the urban and social context of the buildings he's photographing.

January 29, 2010 - The New York Times

Recovery Through the Open Source Design Movement

With the devastation in Haiti fresh in mind, Good's Alissa Walker takes a look at the growing practice of sharing design ideas.

January 28, 2010 - Good

Cities With Car-Free Potential

This post from Treehugger looks at 6 cities that could potentially go car-lite or car-free.

January 27, 2010 - Treehugger

The Science of Casual Connections

A new book reveals that our extended network of acquaintances is more important to us than we might think.

January 23, 2010 - On The Commons

Mapping the Origins of Products

GOOD introduces us to Sourcemap, a project from the MIT Media Lab that visually tracks the origins of the components that make up everyday products.

January 21, 2010 - Good

TODs With Juice

New Energy Hubs is a proposal to focus alternative energy production around transit-oriented developments to create synergistic benefits.

January 19, 2010 - WorldChanging

Watching Urban Change Via Satellite

Recent earthquake response efforts in Haiti showed how comparing satellite imagery could help to identify physical changes in the damaged country and assist rescue workers. That same sort of imagery could play a similar role for urban planners.

January 18, 2010 - Nate Berg

Bicycles in the Sky

Inhabitat reports on a Bulgarian designer who has a vision of a bicycle lane suspended in the air, taking bicyclists out of the line of traffic and onto a very precarious-looking track.

January 17, 2010 - Inhabitat

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

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.

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.