Europe
Commuting By Bike (Spandex Not Required)
A Vancouver company is importing Dutch city bicycles, and the relaxed commuting lifestyle that goes with them.
Community Energy Planning Paying Off in Germany
A small town in Germany is demonstrating that a strategy of distributed, renewable and locally-controlled energy production can not only be Earth-friendly but profitable.
An Architect-Designed Mega Plan in Istanbul
One of the world's largest urban renewal projects is about to break ground in the Kartal area of Istanbul, and every aspect of the new neighborhood is designed by a star architect. The Wall St. Journal reports on the new "city-building industry".
Paris 'Beach' Opens
The annual transformation of riverbanks to beaches has begun in Paris, where the River Seine becomes a widely visited outdoor public space known as Paris Plages.
As Venues Sit Unused, Athens Feels Olympic Remorse
Four years after it hosted the Summer Olympics, Athens is questioning whether the $15 billion investment in venues that now largely sit unused was really worth it.
German NIMBYs Oppose Mosques
Incidents of violence and vandalism highlight a rising tide of local opposition to teh construction of new mosques in Germany.
Irish Alcatraz?
Belfast developers plan on turning a Victorian-era jail into a tourist attraction, hotel, and art gallery. Her Majesty’s Prison Belfast closed in 1996, and is a symbol of The Troubles, the long struggle in Northern Ireland for Irish independence.
Paris Considers Ditching Building Height Limits
Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë has proposed abandoning the city's long-held building height restriction of 37 meters, citing the city's need to grow.
Prague Hopes to Clean Up its Public Space
With tourist season in full effect, the Czech city of Prague is hoping to clean up its notoriously dirty streets with a new ban on littering and urinating in public places.
Town Removes All Traffic Signals
Bohmte, Germany is following the lead of an EU program called "Shared Space", which recommends that cities remove traffic signals and find ways to encourage cars to share their space with pedestrians and bicyclists.
Paris Plans Green Car Sharing System
Following on the success of its bike-sharing system, Paris is planning to unveil a citywide green car-sharing system.
An Italian View of U.S. Planning
An Italian city planner visits San Diego to analyze sprawl-fighting techniques first-hand.
Soccer Fans Join Together for Street 'Carnivals'
"Football Carnivals" are on the rise in Germany, where the community viewing buzz from the 2006 World Cup has hung around and revived itself for the current European Championship.
Tiny Monaco Using Stilts to Expand
The second-smallest country in the world (after the Vatican) has plans to expand its territory by building more land on stilts in an idea inspired by oil rigs.
Bicycling in U.S. is Risky Business
The US has never encouraged cycling as a practical mode of travel, and as a result, biking to work is a rare and hazardous activity, with four times the fatality rate of some European countries. A Rutgers University study shows how that can change.
Using Cellphone GPS, Researchers Prove We're Homebodies
GPS from cellphones is enabling exciting research into human behavior, but European studies show that our behavior is rarely exciting.
Friday Bummer: Really Long Headways at Fake Bus Stop Keep Alzheimer's Patients From Disappearing
A senior care facility in Germany teamed with the local transit agency to install a fake bus stop near the home to stem occupant disappearances after Alzheimer's patients repeatedly wandered off site to catch buses at real stops.
It's Just Like Riding A Bike...Mostly, Kinda
What can leaders of a particularly hilly city do to encourage cycling? Well, they can try making it easier to ride a bike.
Planning the Paris of the Future
French President Sarkozy's call for 'audacious' plans for a Paris of the future has been answered by some of the world's top architects and designers, but some wonder how any of the plans can work within the constraints of the existing city.
Sweden Creates Sewage-Powered Cars, But Auto Industry Lags Behind
Household sewage is currently fueling cars in Sweden, and has for years. But Swedish industry has given up on the idea, investing in ethanol-based gasoline.
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
