World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

More Evidence that City Living is the Greenest

Ever since David Owen's book Green Metropolis pushed forward the idea that cities are better for the planet, people have been debating if it's really so. New evidence says yes.

February 7, 2011 - Grist

The 40 Tools You Need to Build Your Own Civilization

The Global Village Construction Set is a group of farmers and engineers who are developing an set of open-source designs for the forty tools one would need to create a self-sufficient life living off of the land.

February 7, 2011 - Fast Company

Green Buildings in Demand

A new poll of real estate experts reveals that businesses seeking office space are increasingly seeking buildings built with sustainability in mind.

February 7, 2011 - The Guardian U.K.

Andres Duany Says LEED and Optimization Driving Up Costs

Speaking at the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference last week, Duany said that he fears developers will give up on building sustainably because of overly onerous infrastructure costs required by LEED and other systems.

February 7, 2011 - Partnership for Sustainable Communities

The Implications of Transit Lingo

What do you think of when you think of the word "route" in relation to transit? What about the word "line"? Jarrett Walker argues that the language used to describe transit can influence how people think about it.

February 7, 2011 - Human Transit

The Mega-Problem for Mega-Cities: Management

Neither technology nor infrastructure shows any limit for how big or how fast cities can grow and more megacities are on the horizon, according to this piece from Richard Dobbs and Jaana Remes.

February 6, 2011 - What Matters

Did GPS Kill the Lighthouse?

With GPS technology ubiquitous, the lighthouse perched high on a cliff may soon become a relic.

February 5, 2011 - CNN

The City of the Future is an Air Hub

New Songdo City in South Korea is the model for new cities, according to Greg Lindsay and John D. Kasarda, who argue that its airport is its most important element.

February 5, 2011 - What Matters

Friday Funny: Unlocking the "City Planner" Achievement

Apparently in the horror first-person shooter videogame F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin for XBox, you can win a special "City Planner" achievement by -- blowing stuff up.

February 4, 2011 - YouTube

BRT on the Rise Globally

Bus rapid transit is growing in popularity throughout the world, though implementation is lacking in the U.S.

February 4, 2011 - THE DIRT

Multidisciplinary Mega Cities

Building megacities needs to be a multidisciplinary effort, according to architect and designer Sean C. S. Chiao.

February 3, 2011 - What Matters

Investing in the Future of Air

The demand for air travel may seem to be on the decline, but it's actually rising -- and playing a major role in determining which places are more economically successful.

February 3, 2011 - The New York Times

Smart Cities That Listen

The cities of the future should be "smart" -- equipped with data-collection tools and technologies to improve city functionality -- but being smart also means being a good listener, writes Saskia Sassen.

February 3, 2011 - What Matters

Infrastructure for Animals

A recent international design competition sought innovative and attractive solutions for allowing wildlife to cross busy highways. The winning designs take various strategies to go over or under the traffic.

February 2, 2011 - The Globe and Mail

A Call for Active, Not Passive, Preservation

In Barcelona, Mario Ballesteros says that now is the time to change the perception of historic preservation from a staid, conservative activity to an active, contemporary approach.

February 2, 2011 - domus

Revolution in Cities is No Accident

With recent uprisings in Cairo and Tunis, we are reminded that the city has been the center of revolutionary action for hundreds of years, according to this piece from Edward L. Glaeser.

February 2, 2011 - The New York Times

The Twisty, Bendy, Far-Out World of Asian Architecture

Barun Roy says that some of the most adventurous, bizarre and impractical architecture is being built in Asia.

January 28, 2011 - Business Standard

The Architecture of Possible Worlds

Karl Chu sees a future of architecture that combines artificial intelligence and biological processes resulting in fantastical organic buildings.

January 27, 2011 - IEET blog

Food, Energy Shortages Loom

Peace and Security professor Michael Klare warns that we are entering a period of global resource scarcity and unrest.

January 24, 2011 - AlterNet

Mayors on the Infrastructure Needs of the U.S.

This TIME video is titled, "What Makes Cities Smart?" But the mayors interviewed - Villariagosa, Daley, Nutter - are mostly obsessed with building public transit and high-speed rail.

January 24, 2011 - Time

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.