Europe
Oslo's Car-Free Dreams Easier Said Than Done
Touted as a leader among the European cities moving toward car-free streets, Oslo's ambitions of removing all cars from the city center has hit some roadblocks.
Muscovites Revolt Against Relocation Plan
Plans to decommission existing public housing blocks and replace them with newer high-rises has angered middle-class residents in Moscow who fear the loss of their homes and investments.
Friday Eye Candy: Ancient Rome's Maps, Reimagined as a Transit System
There are surprisingly few maps of ancient Roman roads, and many fewer maps of ancient Roman roads that resemble big-city subway maps. An intrepid student has improved upon that situation, however.
Beuvron-en-Auge: 15th Century Town Planning Stands the Test of Time
Another reason European placemaking has North American applications: it wasn't always perfect. Hazel Borys looks to simple town planning lessons from a village in Normandy.
In Europe, Self-Drivers Focus on Augmenting Transit
Unlike the American focus on luxury personal self-drivers, the European approach favors small self-driving buses that can ferry riders to larger transit lines.
Inadequate Diesel Vehicle Testing Results in 38,000 Global Fatalities Annually
While the study stems from research that found Volkswagen diesel cars had used 'defeat devices' to pass emissions tests, the new study points to inadequacies in the tests themselves, resulting in 50 percent higher pollution than testing permits.
Beating the Heat (Island Effect) with the Japanese Tradition of Uchimizu
Can a few splashes of water on hot pavement reduce the heat island effect? Researchers find evidence to support a traditional Japanese method of cooling the environment.
Paris Targets Vacant Second Homes With 60% Tax
7.5 percent of homes in the French capital have no one living in them.
Infrastructure for Distracted Pedestrians: Streetlights in the Ground
Responses to the new pedestrian infrastructure in Bodegraven are likely to say these crosswalk signals in the ground are victim-blaming or Millennial-coddling.
Uncertain Future for Electric Vehicles if Fuel Efficiency Standards Relaxed
The U.S. EPA has signaled that it will withdraw an earlier decision to maintain the 54.5 miles per gallon target. Should that happen, a major casualty will be electric vehicles, according to one prominent EV advocate interviewed on NPR.
Rome's Urban Planning Chief Quits in Stadium Dispute
Paolo Berdini, Rome's councilor for urban planning, has resigned from his position after clashing with the city's mayor over a new soccer stadium for AS Roma.
Architecture's Top Prize Goes to a Relatively Unknown Trio From Spain
The Pritzker Prize, sometimes called the Nobel Prize of architecture, was announced this week, going to Spanish firm RCR Arquitectes.
The Curious Case of the Irish Housing Market
In Ireland, there's one house for every 2.35 people. According to industry experts, that's twice as many vacant homes as a normal, healthy market should have. So why then is the country considered to be in a housing crisis?
Fake Cemeteries May Help Curb Sprawl in Spain
In order to stop new development in areas previously consumed by forest fires, Spanish firefighters are using a little known law that prohibits new building's within a 500 meter (0.3 miles) radius of a cemetery.
Airbnb Still at Odds with Barcelona City, Calling New Rule for Hosts a 'Joke'
After Barcelona City Council conducted inspections and imposed sanctions on illegal tourist rentals in the city, Airbnb responded by announcing restrictions on multiple listings in the downtown area. The city council responded bluntly.
Snow Day Delayed: It's International Winter Bike to Work Day
Last year, Zagreb, Croatia boasted the largest number of participants in International Winter Bike to Work Day. This year it's hoping to defend its title.
Sweden Targets Carbon Neutrality
As the lawmakers in Washington, D.C. prepare to gut the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, environmentalists got inspiring news from the country of Sweden.
Buying a Diesel Car Today Is Selfish and Irresponsible
We all know that pollution, like tobacco, kills! We also know that diesel fuel is extremely dirty. Unfortunately, until a few years ago, the automobile industry had deceived us into believing that diesel was as clean or cleaner than gasoline.
Friday Eye Candy: A Mashup of New York and Paris of the 1920s
Paris and New York, seamlessly photoshopped together—that's a cause we can get behind.
Paris Officials Blame Airbnb for Shrinking City
Paris's most tourist-friendly neighborhoods are getting less dense: falling fertility rates, rising costs, and home sharing are all suspected as possible culprits.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
