Europe
Affordable Housing By Ikea
The Swedish furniture retailer is expanding its market to include ready-made and modestly-sized homes. Already selling well in Scandinavia, the homes are part of a new plan to address Britain's affordable housing shortage.
Controlled Chaos In Transportation Planning
As an apparently successful experiment, several European cities are doing away with traffic signs in hopes that drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists will interact in a free and humane way.
New Rules May Allow Sunday Shopping On Champs-Élysées
Rules may soon be changing along the Champs-Élysées in Paris, allowing more shops to open for business on Sundays -- a day the country traditionally sets aside for rest.
Friday Funny: Sheep Protest Against Urban Sprawl
Farmers in Spain led hundreds of sheep down city streets to protest urban encroachment on farm lands and livestock trails.
Where Have All The Traffic Signs Gone?
Planners in Europe are experimenting with removing traffic signs to encourage human interaction between motorists and cyclists and pedestrians.
Congestion Pricing Returning To Stockholm
The capital's congestion charge scheme is being reintroduced with a proposal to appease drivers by using the proceeds for highway improvements.
Saving Bucharest's 'Little Paris'
The decision by local officials to demolish one of the oldest buildings in the city, which serves as a clinic, has brought civic groups together to protest the insensitivity towards the city's historic heritage.
Paris Wants To Woo The 'Creative Class'
Once a magnet for writers, painters and other artistic types, Paris' Mayor wants the city to attract the laptop toting young bohemians that represent the new 'creative class'.
Geneva's 9-Point Plan To Stay The Global Governance Capital
A group of urban experts has released a plan to keep Geneva at the forefront of international affairs and governance. Included in the plan is a call to ensure the city's compatibility with technology and information media.
In Denmark, Linking Beauty And Rail In New Design
These renderings for a new project in Denmark show how towers and open space combine to promote mass transit and reject old-fashioned ideas about monolithic design.
Extended Hours Does Little For Swiss Shopping Center
Depsite a change in local laws that let businesses stay open 90 minutes later, few businesses in the northwestern Swiss city of Basel have extended hours, worrying officials that their idea of creating the "largest shopping center in the region" has fallen short.
Rail Agreement Links Asia To Europe
An agreement has been reached between 18 countries to move forward on a long-sought plan to connect railways between Singapore and Turkey, creating a vast network expected to boost the economies of currently remote areas.
Romanian Infrastructure Catches Up
In Romania, construction of infrastructure was formerly a slow and inefficient process that left many in the country without access to basic needs like water and roads. But now, construction has picked up and the country's services have vastly improved.
Resuscitating Iceland's Capital
New development plans for the city center of the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik have city officials and residents looking optimistically towards a rebirth of a declining local economy.
Urban Improvement Through Child's Play
This article from Metropolis Magazine looks at a new trend that is revisioning the playground by expanding its scope and encouraging kids to get out of the backyard.
Ireland Looks To Recruit American Workers
Faced with low unemployment rates and worker shortages in certain high-skill sectors, Irish companies are increasingly looking to other countries - especially the U.S. - for employees.
Americans In The City Of Light
Americans are buying second homes in Paris.
Bicycling In Denmark
Aaron Naparstek of Streetsblog visits Copenhagen and reports on that city's outstanding bicycling facilities.
Starchitect Fantasies Come True In Astana, Kazakhstan
A 203-foot pyramid, designed by British architect Lord Foster, is only one example of over-the-top urban design in Kazakhstan's remote capital city.
Bulgaria Struggles With Depopulation
The population is rapidly declining in Bulgaria, especially in the younger age brackets, leaving many older residents to struggle as the social security system is on the verge of no longer sustaining itself.
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
