World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Tokyo Skyline

A Highly Subjective Ranking of World Cities

Toronto, Tokyo, and Helsinki may have little in common, but they all top Metropolis Magazine's list of the world's most liveable cities, as named by an expert panel of designers and urbanists. Eight runnners-up were named in a variety of categories.

August 3, 2015 - Metropolis Magazine

Miami Temperature

Urban Heat Waves Likely to Hit Harder

Yet another climate change side effect: more frequent urban heat waves. And because urban temperatures tend higher than rural ones, cities should be ready to protect the most vulnerable.

August 2, 2015 - The Nature Conservancy - Cool Green Science

Blog Series Explores the 'Heart of the Arctic'

Hazel Borys chronicles an Arctic expedition adventure, rife with environmental insights. If you ever wondered what it felt like in the olden days to receive dispatches from explorers off in distant mysterious lands, maybe it felt something like this.

July 31, 2015 - PlaceShakers

City Life in the Republic of NGOs

Haiti's weak government and heavy foreign aid presence has led some to refer to it as the "Republic of NGOs." Satellite explored how this dynamic plays out in the small city of Fort-Liberté, which has been shaken by recent protests over electricity.

July 31, 2015 - Satellite Magazine

Shenzhen Crumbling Buildings

Op-Ed Decries the Idea of the 'Triumph of the City'

An unflinching op-ed begs a rethinking of narratives that cheer the "Triumph of the City." In the contemporary city, the argument goes, only the rich are better off from urbanization.

July 31, 2015 - Citymetric

Google maps screengrab of the United States

The Importance of Geographic Literacy

Maps are still an important tool in teaching kids to be global citizens.

July 30, 2015 - The Washington Post - Blogs

U.S. Cities Rank Highly as Locations for Startups

The Startup Genome Project ranks the Silicon Valley as far and away the best location in the world for startup businesses, but other American cities appear all over the top ten.

July 29, 2015 - CityLab

How Planners Are Responding to a More Complex World

A bit of a redefining moment is happening among European planners as they look for ways to address the growing complexity of their communities and the world.

July 27, 2015 - CityLab

Acropolis

How Cities Inspire Deep Thoughts

As abstract as the study of philosophy may seem, it has to take place somewhere. Philosophy professor David Kishik posits that cities have influenced the development of philosophical ideas, from Socrates' Athens to William James' New York.

July 21, 2015 - New York Times

The Inuit: A View From the Top of the World

A little history on the Inuit of the Circumpolar Region as the kickoff in a blog series by Hazel Borys

July 13, 2015 - PlaceShakers

Gov. Jerry Brown: Committed to Fighting Climate Change

Reporting from a two-day conference in Toronto where states and provinces organized to tackle climate change in advance of a UN conference, political reporter Chris Megerian profiles Gov. Brown's climate change commitment in five articles.

July 12, 2015 - Los Angeles Times - Political

Sunday Funday: Video Game Plays on Fears About Crumbling Infrastructure

The game is called INFRA—the action is set in a city where corruption in the private and public sectors has left the city on the brink of collapse.

July 12, 2015 - CityLab

Placemeter Provides New Ways to Measure Traffic

In the ongoing quest to better measure the use of streets by all modes—a new tool could be a game changer for transportation engineers, planners, and advocates alike.

July 11, 2015 - Streetsblog USA

Cities Where Density Benefits Transportation Efficiency

A simple demonstration of one of the benefits of density.

July 11, 2015 - Architect This City

facades of victorian style residences in San Francisco

Guidance for Good Urban Density

A new report by the Urban Land Institute, "Density: Drivers, Dividends and Debates," examines the concept of density, its impacts, and how it can best be achieved in cities around the world.

July 9, 2015 - Density Drivers Dividends and Debates

Rendering

How Futuristic Renderings Fail Future Cities

Pushing back on a version of futurism that imagines cities as a collection of iconic structures devoid of people and interactions.

July 9, 2015 - Project For Public Spaces

The Alamo Granted World Heritage Site Status

The San Antonio Missions—five frontier missions that include The Alamo—were named among a group of new World Heritage Sites.

July 7, 2015 - UNESCO

Bike Shed Netherlands

Lessons from Overseas Cycling Infrastructure

LennyBoy (civil engineering professor Glen Koorey) posts terrific information concerning bicycle planning best practices, based on his three-month tour of North American and European cities.

July 5, 2015 - Cycling In Christchurch - Overseas Learnings

Walking

New Guide Helps City Leaders Design for Physical Activity and Health

The "Active Cities Report" by the Designed to Move coalition provides detailed guidance concerning how to integrate physical activity into community design, and information on the economic, social and environmental benefits that result.

July 5, 2015 - Active Cities Report - A Guide for City Leaders

Chicago Harbor, City Skyline, Illinois

Global Cities Allying with Each Other, Not with Nations

With nation-states often wracked by internal political divides and often unable to cooperate with each other, cities have begun to forge their own international relationships. A new, urban approach to foreign policy is emerging.

July 5, 2015 - Chicago Tribune

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.