World
Global issues, U.N., etc.
Let Your Freak Flag Fly
In the celebratory spirit of Cinco de Mayo, Scott Doyon invites you to let your freak flag fly.
Driverless Taxis: the Next Next Big Thing in Urban Transportation?
The idea of cars that would drive themselves has only recently moved from science fiction to reality. In this feature, Antonio Loro explores the feasibility and implications of automated vehicles, especially self-driving taxis.
The Elements and Benefits of the Protected Intersection
A Dutch design for a protected intersection goes beyond the "mixing zone" to create safer multi-modal conditions in intersections on streets that include protected bike lanes. Do you think it will work?
Climate Change: a Global Commons Problem
A quick city planner's guide to the voluminous Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report out earlier this month.
On the Strange Isolation of Abandoned Cities—In World of Warcraft
Drawing heavily on comparisons to the booms and busts of American cities, a writer describes the perfectly-preserved, abandoned, virtual cities of the popular online game World of Warcraft.
Celebrating the Botanical Diversity of Cities
The word “ecology” has been co-opted so widely that it has lost real meaning, yet ecological thinking remains a powerful lens for understanding complex adaptive systems. A new book aims for a more rigorous engagement of ecology and design.
Do Tall Cities Require the Regulation of Sunlight?
Planners, lawyers and homeowners have been arguing the question of "solar rights" for two millennia. A recent article presents a primer on the historic and contemporary importance of the debate.
Study: Walking Increases Creativity
It's common knowledge that taking a walk can help get the creative juices flowing—but a new study by researchers at Santa Clara University claims to have proven it.
How Tall is Too Tall?
What is the best height to promote good urban living? It needs to be high to attain necessary density but not so high that it detracts from the quality of life, particularly for existing residents. In short, what is the Goldilocks height level?
Friday Eye Candy: The 'Most Definitive' Film About Water
Canadian filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nick de Pencier created a feature length documentary film called Watermark to capture the “existential interactions around the world with water."
Travel Back in Time with Google Street View
Clear your schedule: a new feature on Google Street View allows users to click through images from the past.
Engage; Don’t Rage: Use a Design Charrette to Negotiate Your Next Development Proposal
Despite the investments required of a design charrette, Robert Freedman makes the case that the process can save time and money on complex projects by way of three primary benefits.
Ranking the Most Resilient Cities
Resilience has entered into the planning and urbanism lexicon as a large challenge for all places pursuing prosperous, sustainable futures. A new study examines the world’s leading cities for lessons in resilience.
How Cities Miss the 'World Class' Mark
A recent article on the Stanford Social Innovation Review blog argues that instead of chasing gleaming skyscrapers, planners in developing cities should build a new model of the "world class" city.
Arguing for City-Focused Sustainable Development Goals
Richard Florida joins the chorus calling for the United Nations to make “cities the centerpiece of its forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals.”
The History of GPS—Back to the First Century
A new book details the primitive origins of the GPS tracking technologies that are so pervasive in today’s mobile-phone-enabled world.
Time Running Out for Climate Change Action, Warns IPCC
In its second major report since 2007, the U.N. panel's report was not all bad news. It noted that while nations may be slow to agree to climate treaties, city and state governments have written their own climate plans along with the private sector.
As the Seas Rise, Cities 'Dither'
The world’s coastal cities now face an impossible situation as a result of climate change. While the impacts and catastrophes become inevitable, why do cities like San Francisco dither rather than act?
Where’s the Nearest Airport? New Diagram Shows—for Every Place on Earth
"Each region is closer to a particular airport than any other," explains the creator of what's called a spherical Voronoi diagram. The diagram illustrates just how far that airport is.
Impact Investing for Community Development
Lisa Hall gives an overview of impact investing in this enlightening, introduction-type piece. She shares the potential and the new opportunities for community development that are coming out of this emerging field.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
