World
Global issues, U.N., etc.
As Permitting Rebounds, Planning Department Forced to Replace Automated System With Human
Building permits have surprisingly picked up in the city of Townsville, Indiana, forcing the city's planning department to replace its automated telephone response system with an actual human staffer.
New York Bike Lane Advocates and Opponents Unite Against Shared Enemy: Pedestrians
Bicyclists and drivers in New York City have been at each others' throat in recent months as the city installs new bike lanes throughout the city. After many bitter words, the former foes have joined forces against a new enemy: people on foot.
Unable to Distribute High Speed Rail Money, LaHood Throws Awesome Party
As state officials turn down or return federal money intended for high speed rail projects, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood used this seemingly unwanted funding to throw an epic party in Las Vegas.
New Ben & Jerry's Flavor Released: Janette Sadik-Pecan
Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's has released a new flavor inspired by New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.
Landscape Urbanists and New Urbanists to Settle Debate After Class, Behind the Gym
After months of debate over which ideology should guide the future of cities and urban development, New Urbanists and Landscape Urbanists at Harvard University are planning to settle the argument with a fistfight.
PR Consultant Re-Brands Shrinking City as 'Taking a People Diet'
With the recent announcement that Detroit's population has declined nearly 25% over the last decade, the city has hired a public relations specialist who promptly denied any problems in the city, arguing that it is simply on a "people diet".
Cash-for-Vote Scandal Rocks Top 10 Livable Cities List
Officials in Portland are accusing nearby Vancouver, British Columbia of bribing judges to buy their first place spot in a recent top ten list of the world's most livable cities.
9 Months After 9-Day Traffic Jam, A Baby Boom in Beijing
Nine months after a horrendous traffic jam clogged a Chinese roadway for 62 miles outside Beijing for 9 whole days, area hospitals have seen a fivefold increase in births.
Buses Add Car Racks to Ease L.A. Drivers' Uneasy Transition to Transit
Rising gas prices have pushed many in L.A. to ditch their cars in favor of public transit. But the switch has been tough for some car-tethered Angelenos, so the MTA has added car racks to its buses for those not ready to leave their cars behind.
Smart City Accidentally Downloads Virus
A brand new city in South Korea -- wired with smart grid technologies, a real-time control platform, deep sensing, simulation, and advanced analytics -- has accidentally downloaded a major computer virus.
Landscape Architects' Influence Grows
As green spaces and public areas increase in demand, more and more projects are being awarded to landscape architects rather than architects, some foresee a potential professional turf war.
Small is Beautiful (and Necessary)
Building sizes have been creeping upward for centuries, but green building expert Jason McLennan argues that smaller structures are better, more beautiful, and ecologically inevitable.
What Canadians Can Learn About Sustainable Transportation
As a part of its series on pressing issues that should inform the current Canadian federal election, the Globe and Mail examines how other cities around the world have undertaken affordable transportation innovations to ease traffic congestion.
The McMansions of the Future
Livejournal has posted a series of paintings that ran as part of a 1961 Motorola advertising campaign that depict a futuristic lifestyle and featuring cavernous modern living spaces.
Tools of Inspiration
Landscape architect and designer Ken Smith talks about some things that inspire him, such as William H. Whyte's classic book The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.
Visualizing the Cost of Water
This visualization compares the costs of providing water in cities across the world, and shows how those costs have grown or shrank in recent years.
The World's Water-Smart Cities
This collection of city profiles looks at cities around the world that are making major improvements to the way they handle and provide water.
Wetlands and Airports: A Surprisingly Effective Combination
When the airport was built in Santa Barbara, California, engineers dammed the surrounding wetlands to prevent flooding and to keep birds from gathering. A new restoration refutes those conclusions, and paves (or unpaves) the way for other airports.
Reconstructing Bucky's Dymaxion Car
Architect Norman Foster, who worked with Buckminster Fuller towards the end of his life, recently rebuilt Fuller's Dymaxion Car to exacting specifications. Metropolis Magazine interviewed Foster about what we can still learn from the Dymaxion design.
The Economic Forces Behind Urbanization
This podcast from The Guardian explores why cities have grown in population and what economic forces are behind this shift.
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
