World
Global issues, U.N., etc.
Fracking's Formidable Foe
The worthy foe is not environmental regulations nor the the government or public demanding fracking moratoriums and bans. It is the falling global price of oil. Two radio reports explore how the global glut of oil affects U.S. shale oil production.
A Comprehensive Accounting of Economic and Environmental Performance: Who's in?
For the last several decades, North American cities have used growth as a primary economic engine. Increasingly less dense new growth is subsidized by the more dense core, but requires a growth rate that is not supportable in the long term.
Study Rates Car 'Infotainment Systems' for Levels of Distraction
A study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety assessed the mental demands required of six hands-free, in-vehicle systems dialing phones and changing radio stations.
Friday Eye Candy: 2014's Best Architectural Photography
The 2014 Arcaid Images Architectural Photography Awards were presented at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore recently.
Exploring the 'Finesse of the Avenue'
In his fourth "place-decoding" essay from France, Chuck Wolfe illustrates how a traditional placemaking intervention is especially powerful when underlying urban fundamentals align.
The Downtown Dystopia and the 'Continued March of Sameness'
Architecture critic Aaron Betsky provides a new take urban dystopia: bland and homogenous. The antidote, he argues, can be found on the edges.
The Best Country in the World to Grow Old
The country most friendly to electric vehicles is also the country most supportive of senior citizens, not that there's a relationship. After Norway, Sweden is the best place to grow old, according to the just released Global AgeWatch Index.
Study: Astounding Loss of Global Biodiversity in Last 40 Years
According to a newly released study by the World Wildlife Fund, the Zoological Society of London, and other NGOs, the world has lost half of its biodiversity, particularly in fresh water ecosystems and in developing nations.
'Keeping it Modern' to Research Conservation Solutions
The quest to preserve the masterpieces of modern architecture can also provide a model for preserving lesser-known construction from the 20th century. An initiative of the Getty Conservation Institute would achieve both goals.
Three Technological Innovations that Could End Asphalt as We Know it
As more municipalities are shutting off lights for energy savings, technological innovations are leading the way in new lighting and paving systems to make up for these economic and environmental constraints.
How the Sharing Economy Masks an Economic Crisis
Evgeny Morozov, a researcher on the political and social implications of technology, critiques the less-hyped implications of the emerging sharing economy.
'Trees in Hard Landscapes': Guide for High-Performance Urban Infrastructure
A new cross-disciplinary report cites 32 case studies to offer practical solutions for integrating trees into civic spaces and surface car parks.
AT&T Planning for Growth of 'Connected Car' Market
AT&T is predicting a growth market for wholesale customer relationships with car manufacturers.
The Look and Feel of 'Inherently Urban'
Greek orators, current solution-based efforts, and 25 photographs remind us of the central role of human opportunity in the urban environment.
Bloomberg Donates $125 Million for Urban Transportation
In his second global transportation donation meant to reduce death and injury from transportation, the former NYC mayor will take a decidedly urban focus by directing his foundation to select ten cities to receive $125 million, he announced Monday.
New Grim Population Projection: 11 Billion People
So much for the conventional wisdom that world population would peak at 9 billion by 2050 and then decline. A new analysis shatters it, concluding population will rise to 11 or 12 billion by 2100, and possibly continue growing.
Underground: The Next Frontier of Urbanization
With rapidly urbanizing metro areas, some cities are not looking to build up, or spread out, anymore. Rather they have begun to grow into underground spaces.
Neuroscience and Landscape Architecture
Two new studies use EEG and fMRI to pinpoint which elements of urban parks and gardens induce brain activity associated with meditative states.
Gov. Jerry Brown Touts California's Success at U.N. Climate Summit
Leonardo DiCaprio may have received top billing, but Jerry Brown spoke as well on the actions of the Golden State to combat climate change under his watch. Two days earlier, he signed six bills to increase sales of electric vehicles.
Friday Eye Candy: Life Finds A Way
NPR's Cities Project is crowdsourcing Instagram photos of nature creeping back into urban spaces.
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
