World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Brooklyn Bridge Beach

Urban River Revitalization Across the Globe

Urban Times offers a list of 13 urban river renewal projects spanning from Medellin to Manila.

June 14, 2014 - Urban Times

Big Changes for the National Geographic Atlas of the World Due to Melting Arctic Ice

National Geographic Geographer Juan José Valdés calls the changes in the map of Arctic ice in the 10th edition of the National Geographic Atlas of the World, "the biggest visible change other than the breakup of the U.S.S.R."

June 12, 2014 - National Geographic

Labor Unrest Surrounds Transit Systems in Brazil on the World Cup's Opening Day

Questions about workers' strikes in two transportation systems persisted right up until the launch of the World Cup, the world's most watched sporting event, today in Brazil.

June 12, 2014 - AP via Yahoo News

New Research Attempts to Quantify the Health Impacts of Design and Nature

There is already good evidence that exposure to green landscapes is good for people. The next frontier of research in the health impacts of designed environments is to be able to quantify connections between design decisions and life expectancy.

June 11, 2014 - ASLA The Dirt

Times Square

Friday Funny: The Signage of the Not-So-Distant Future

A Tumblr called Signs from the Near Future has seen the signs, and has predicted what the signs of the future will look like.

June 6, 2014 - Signs from the Near Future

irrigation

What Urban Planners Fail to Grasp in Climate Action Plans

Climate mitigation and adaptation have become de rigeur aspects of urban planning for most cities, according to results from MIT's international Urban Climate Change Governance Survey. What's missing in most plans is the link to economic development.

June 5, 2014 - MIT News

Google Self-Driving Car smaller

Did Google Find a Low-Speed Shortcut to Fully Automated Vehicles?

Google's bold new design for a self-driving car has no steering wheel or pedals. And it has a top speed of 40 km/h. Here is a look at Google’s plans and the role low-speed automated vehicles could play in urban transportation.

June 5, 2014 - Antonio Loro

Cities of Love: Paris, Boston, Venice, Quebéc City (and Buffalo?)

Spring brings out the romance in cities. Here's a bit of inspiration from Quebéc City...and Buffalo.

June 2, 2014 - PlaceShakers

Debate Intensifies Before EPA Releases New Rules for Power Plants

Both sides are coming out swinging, days before President Obama and EPA Administrator McCarthy release a long-awaited power plant rule on Monday. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a new report concluding the rule would cost $50 billion annually.

May 31, 2014 - The Hill

Can the Garden City of the Past Work in the Future?

Anthony Flynt explores the motivations behind Robert A.M. Stern's recent revival of the Garden City as a model for future development. Among the benefits of the model proposed by Ebenezer Howard in 1902, according to Stern: equity and comfort.

May 30, 2014 - CityLab

Amsterdam Electric Car 2

Electric Vehicles Not Welcome in Europe

It may seem odd that the continent of high gas taxes and strong environmental ethos would not take to electric vehicles. Focusing on the news that Renault will delay the release of a new EV, AutoblogGreen explores the poor sales of EVs in Europe.

May 27, 2014 - AutoBlogGreen

Kids Biking

Making Biking Cool for Kids

A three-year bike-to-school initiative in Europe encourages children to bike to school.

May 23, 2014 - TheCityFix

Lawsuit Puts Climate Change Preparation Onus On Cities

A class-action lawsuit filed by Farmers Insurance Co. against the city of Chicago raises questions on municipal responsibility to prepare against 'foreseeable risk.'

May 22, 2014 - The Washington Post

Aggravated 15 Year Olds as a Measure of Place

Is there nowhere in your town to teach a kid to drive? Congratulations. You may be on to something.

May 21, 2014 - PlaceShakers

The Fundamental Responsibility of Architects

On Places, Reinhold Martin explores the theme of this year's Venice Architecture Biennale.

May 20, 2014 - Places Journal

Cars and Herbie

Why Humans Humanize Self-Driving Cars

A recent article presents the findings of a study examining the question of how humans will assign or cope with blame for collisions caused by self-driving cars. The findings present insight on how humans will interact with technology in the future.

May 15, 2014 - Slate

Really Bad News from Antarctica

For those who thought that glacial melting due to climate change mainly affected Greenland and mountain glaciers like in the Himalayas, think again. A new NASA/UC Irvine study reports that melting of West Antarctica's glaciers "appears unstoppable".

May 13, 2014 - Vox

Tea Party Taps Hippie Wisdom: How’s that working out?

A local Tea Party type is making a passionate pitch for what his group considers Constitutional guarantees against government planning, and I get this deju vu tug. I’ve been here before. I’VE BEEN THIS BEFORE.

May 12, 2014 - PlaceShakers

Interfacing Urban Intelligence

Shannon Mattern argues that as we enter the era of so-called “smart” cities, we need to consider the point of engagement where citizens interface with the city’s operating system.

May 11, 2014 - Places Journal

'Gayborhoods' and Walkscore: the Importance of Community

Richard Florida opines that among many factors in the most walkable neighborhoods, "[who] our neighbors are, and how similar or different they are from us, matters too."

May 8, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

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.