Europe
Why Cities Should Aim Beyond Carbon Neutrality
Keynote at Future of Cities Forum conference argued that carbon neutrality is not enough, He urged cities to adopt regenerative urban development that mimic natural processes and actively improve the environment.
Gorky Park's Transformation from Gritty to Glam
Moscow's Gorky Park, once the rundown backdrop of a murder novel, has experienced a remarkable turnaround. Today, the mayor imagines its recovery as part of his legacy while Muscovites simply see it as the perfect place to play, dine, and relax.
London's 'Walkie-Talkie' Skyscraper Melts Cars
The new "Walkie-Talkie" skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street in London has been accused of using the sun to melt cars, damage bikes, and blind pedestrians.
What's Behind Bike Share's Skyrocketing Growth?
Earth Policy Institute's bike share charts allow readers to compare bike share programs in the U.S., now numbering 34 with 18,000 bikes. As impressive as it is, a comparison with bike share programs abroad put the numbers in perspective.
The World's 10 Best Connected Cities
A new report out this week has ranked the Top 10 "Internet Cities" around the globe, based on a set of five criteria: connection speed, availability of citywide WiFi, openness to innovation, support of public data, and security/data privacy.
World's Oldest New World Globe Found on an Ostrich Egg
A collector has discovered the world's oldest globe to depict the New World, which may have originated from Leonardo da Vinci's shop in 1504.
Does a 'Palace of Parking' Deserve to be Preserved?
The owners of a Weimar-era parking garage in Berlin that's beloved by modernist enthusiasts are seeking to have its landmark status revoked in order to tear it down. Will officials forgo an opportunity to preserve the German capital's recent past?
Battle of Legacies Strands One of Modernism's Most Important Houses
A house designed by pioneering modernist Eileen Gray, and later covered in murals by Le Corbusier, sits in preservation limbo as experts and officials debate whose legacy demands more respect in stalled renovations.
Jan Gehl: People-Friendly Cities Are Cheap & Easy
Famed Danish architect Jan Gehl shared his thoughts this week about people-friendly cities, and why we have no option but to build them.
Is America Ready to Embrace the Passive House?
They sound too good to be true: houses that remain a comfortable temperature throughout the year without traditional climate control systems. Yet 30,000 such homes have been built in Europe. Why haven't passive houses caught on in the U.S.?
Why Is Europe's Economic Dynamo Losing Residents?
Germany has been able to fend off the worst effects of the deep recession that's beset seemingly every European country. But it finds itself facing the same continent-wide demographic crisis afflicting its less-affluent neighbors.
For Insight Into Italy's Multiethnic Future, Follow Your Taste Buds
In a country still struggling with how to integrate its fast growing immigrant population, the vibrant public market located in Rome's Piazza Vittorio Emanuele provides a taste of its recent ethnic changes.
With Pedestrianization Plan, the Eternal City Looks to Ban a Modern Scourge
Mayor Ignazio Marino of Rome has banned private vehicles from Via dei Fori Imperiali, built by Benito Mussolini to link his palace in Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum. Initially open to buses and taxis, it will eventually be completely pedestrianized.
Planning a People-Centered Renaissance for La Defense
Since it was begun in the late 1950's, Paris's La Defense business district 'has always worked better in architectural theory than in anthropological practice,' says Georgi Kantchev. A new plan seeks to humanize the spaces between its tall towers.
Quantifying How Haussmann Changed the Function and Form of Paris
A new study has quantified how Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann's plans changed the form and function of Paris - a topic that had previously been open to the subjective analysis of urban theorists. The results might surprise you.
What Makes a Place Feel Safe?
Utilizing an online tool that compares images from Google Street View, researchers have built a better understanding of the 'small, often imperceptible reasons' that make some streets and places feel safer than others.
Paris Set to Quadruple in Size
A new governance structure will integrate central Paris with its suburbs in order to facilitate regional planning for 6.5 million inhabitants across 124 municipalities.
Can America Salvage Its Waste-to-Energy Opportunities?
With 87 total waste-to-energy plants in the U.S., the country is only able to convert 12 percent of its trash to electricity (compared to 38 percent for Germany, for instance). Why is America still sending 55 percent of its trash to landfills?
Europe's Ugliest Train Stations
By renewing Madison Square Garden's lease for only 10 years, New York's City Council signaled that relief for passengers using the city's dreadful Penn Station may be in sight. Which of Europe's loathsome stations might be next?
Excessive Speed Suspected in Deadly Spanish Derailment
79 people are confirmed to have died so far in Spain's most deadly train accident in 40 years. The accident involved an Alvia train traveling from Madrid to Ferrol that was said to be operating at more than twice the advised speed when it derailed.
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
