World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

9 New Navigation Technologies for the Visually Impaired

New technology could open a new era of independence for blind and visually impaired residents of communities everywhere.

March 26, 2015 - Urbanful

Mapbox's Landsat-Live Presents Satellite Imagery in Near-Real Time

Until last week, the seasons never changed on satellite image software. But Mapbox's Landsat-Live program shares clear images of the Earth's surface in near-real time.

March 23, 2015 - CityLab

A Song for (Almost) Every City

An intrepid developer has combined the powers of OpenStreetMap, Wikipedia, and Spotify to map 7,681 songs about 212 cities across the globe.

March 21, 2015 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Gehry Fondation Louis Vuitton

Op-Ed: Starchitecture Fails the Future

An addiction to spectacle and fad, says Peter Buchanan, has set architecture adrift in a sea of meaningless forms. And real design problems go ignored.

March 20, 2015 - The Architectural Review

Arizona Suburb

Study: Sprawl Costs the U.S. Economy $1 Trillion Annually

A major new study estimates that sprawl costs the U.S. economy more than a trillion dollars annually, and results, in part, from planning and market distortions. Smart policy reforms can result in more efficient and equitable development.

March 19, 2015 - New Climate Economy

Google Self-Driving Car

On the Self-Driving Car's Taste in Maps

The navigational software of successful driverless cars will make Google Maps seem like child's play. But can such a system replace or improve upon human instinct and adaptability?

March 19, 2015 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Older People

Redefining Public Spaces for Older People

The elderly population in cities is growing, and research points to the health benefits of an active, connected lifestyle. So why are cities still so inhospitable to aging?

March 18, 2015 - The Guardian

Night Train

Study: Transit Subsidies Work Best Alone

Research suggests that transit subsidies produce minimal social value when combined with congestion pricing and dedicated bus lanes.

March 17, 2015 - London School of Economics and Political Science - American Politics and Policy Blog

Global Suburbanisms: Beyond the White Picket Fence

With more people gravitating toward cities than ever before, new urban morphologies are proliferating throughout the world. Arup Connect's Sarah Wesseler talks with Roger Keil of York University about challenges facing global suburban development.

March 16, 2015 - Arup Connect

Dearborn Street Bike Lane

12 Studies that Make a Case for Converting Parking to Bike Lanes

CityLab has complied a thorough guide of economic impact studies of bike lanes that provides a clear, visual case for removing parking spaces.

March 16, 2015 - CityLab

Report: 2014 Carbon Emissions Down as World's Economy Grows

A recent report offers optimism that will world is making progress in the right direction to reduce carbon emissions.

March 15, 2015 - The Hill

Road Rage

On the Psychology of Road Rage

Few of us are fully immune from the effects of road rage. Psychologists are asking why driving can provoke changes in behavior—and how to avert them.

March 15, 2015 - Pacific Standard

Seaside Entrance

The Four Phases of New Urbanism

Robert Steuteville discusses the slow, phased emergence of the New Urbanism. We are only partway through a change that will take generations. We are now immersed in the revitalization of cities. More phases will come.

March 12, 2015 - Better Cities & Towns

A stream of mobile apps

Why Coding Can Teach Planners How to Be More Creative

I want to learn HTML and CSS, or maybe get a refresher on the current state of web technology—where should I start?

March 10, 2015 - Civicly

A History of 'Urban Dashboards' and their Impact on City Governance

Welcome to the age of "Dashboard Governance"—when a good user interface offers the potential for performance advantages to city management.

March 9, 2015 - Places Journal

Warning Sign

Study: Dynamic Road Signs Make for Better Drivers

A psychological experiment finds that warning signs depicting more movement gain more attention, making drivers navigate more carefully.

March 9, 2015 - The Atlantic

facades of victorian style residences in San Francisco

A Modest Proposal: A Scientific Method for the Beauty of Cities

Alain de Botton has an idea that beauty is not in the eye of the beholder, when it comes to cities anyways. He also proposes a system for evaluating the beauty of the world's cities (spoiler: most cities don't qualify).

March 4, 2015 - CityLab

Visualizing the Spread of the OpenStreetMap Project

OpenStreetMap has released an animated map to illustrate the impressive growth of the project over the first ten years of its existence.

March 3, 2015 - Maps Mania

World population

How Dense Cities Reap Green Benefits

What they may lack in peace and quiet, crowded cities more than make up for by requiring residents to live smaller. Tangible environmental benefits follow.

March 1, 2015 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Locals and Tourists - Pittsburgh

Friday Eye Candy: Maps Reveal Differences in How Locals and Tourists See the City

The cities that visitors see will always be different than the city that locals see. A new mapping project reveals the distinctions between the local perspective and the tourist perspective for 136 cities around the globe.

February 27, 2015 - Huffington Post

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.