London
Getting Residents Engaged in Participatory Mapping
Participatory mapping has become an increasingly popular planning tool. The examples that follow highlight how communities are using participatory mapping.
Rail Stations Shortchanged as Homeland Security Focuses on Airports
Rail travelers are not subject to the same degree of security measures as air travelers according to security experts, reports Ron Nixon for The New York Times. Yet far more travel by rail than plane, and rail has been a terrorist target abroad.
Balancing the Need for Housing Supply with Need for Office Space
London is the stage for one of the problems that arises when encountered with a dearth of accommodations for housing and offices.
Does a Surprising Rise in Pollution Mean a Return of London's Pea-Soup Fog?
London Mayor Boris Johnson has tabled strict air-pollution controls until 2020 despite evidence of increasing pollution levels in the city's center.
London's Housing Market Now Swallowing-Up Commercial Uses
A proposed extension of a 2013 law allowing commercial conversion to residential uses is threatening to "accelerate the hollowing out" of London.
What's the Value of a Music Venue in a Neighborhood? Let's Find Out
With market pressures pushing landowners in London to build pricey new flats, local music venues are getting the boot; but does this make sense economically?
Why the Cereal Killer Café Struck Gentrification's Rawest Nerve in London
Recent controversies over high-priced restaurants and cafes in formerly working class neighborhoods reveal the deep connections between food and cultural identity.
Skyscrapers as the Enemy of Cities
An op-ed in The Globe and Mail expresses animosity for the wave of skyscraper construction in old world cities like London.
Small Clubs Make Creative Hubs: the Importance of Live Music Venues
Cities like London are losing their creative edge because the small music venues that foster it are being pushed out.
Security Issues Raised for U.S. Commuter and Intercity Trains
Friday's foiled attempt by an alleged terrorist to massacre civilians on a Paris-bound, high-speed Thalys train has raised fears that a similar attack could be launched on one of America's lesser-speed trains. Are current security measures adequate?
Google Celebrates the Birth of the Traffic Light
If you opened Google to do a search on Wednesday, you'd see an image (the "doodle") of a traffic light and six Model-T era cars spelling out the company's name. It was honoring the 101-year anniversary of the birth of the electric traffic light.
Op-Ed Decries the Idea of the 'Triumph of the City'
An unflinching op-ed begs a rethinking of narratives that cheer the "Triumph of the City." In the contemporary city, the argument goes, only the rich are better off from urbanization.
New App Plots the Most Beautiful, Walkable Route
Interested in finding the road less traveled by? Walkonomics has launched in seven cities around the globe.
London's Transformation, Described in Brutal Terms
The familiar tales of expensive living in U.S. cities like San Francisco, New York, and Vancouver gain a little perspective when compared to London. Or maybe London just provides a crystal ball to the future of those cities and others like them.
Take the 'Night Tube': London to Launch Overnight Subway Service
It might surprise many that London does not offer overnight service on its subway system—while cities like New York, Chicago, Berlin, and Sydney do. That will change in September, however.
Questioning the Wisdom of Crowd Funding
After a splashy project recently hit its crowdfunding goals, one write dares to suggest that such fund raising methods might not be the best idea.
Metros Seek Balance Between Fragmentation and Amalgamation
As the world's cities grow ever larger, local governments constantly ask themselves which is better: amalgamating into one metro-wide government, or maintaining autonomy among fragmented jurisdictions? The answer remains unclear.
European Cities Try to Make Cars Unwelcome
Many cities in Europe are rediscovering their pre-automobile roots, using new technologies like ride-sharing and congestion pricing and old-fashioned ones like demolishing parking lots and dense development. Car ownership is dropping precipitously.
More on the Cost of Anti-Growth Policies
As urban centers start making better sense for a digital economy, NIMBY policies might be worth re-examining. In addition to driving up the cost of housing, they may compound inefficiencies and slow down the economy.
Designing the Shadow-less Skyscraper
Architects at NBBJ in London have designed a building—two buildings rather—that work together to cancel out the shadows they cast.
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
