World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

The World's Smartest Cities

Fast Company runs down a list of the "smartest" cities in the world. First place goes to Songdo City, in South Korea.

January 8, 2011 - Fast Company

Sustainability Wins Award for "Jargoniest Jargon"

Advertising Age Magazine singled out "sustainability" as one of the most overused and misused words of the year.

January 7, 2011 - Triple Pundit

The Best Cities for Conducting Business

A panel of "frequent fliers" chooses the best cities to have a business meeting, a convention, and all-around business friendliness.

January 7, 2011 - The Globe and Mail

Cities Learn From Each Other

Tim Campbell of The Urban Age Institute says that the fastest way to gain knowledge about how cities work is to get out and visit other cities.

January 5, 2011 - Citiscope

Urban Amusement Parks

Harvard GSD graduate Ju-Hyun Kim thinks we should be building amusement parks as skyscrapers, cutting down on the costly commute to the outside of town.

January 5, 2011 - Fast Company

80 Million People a Year Added to the World

National Geographic tackles the controversial issue of population growth, and the sustainability of a growing population. Should we worry about maxing out the planet? Not necessarily, according to Nat. Geo.

January 3, 2011 - National Geographic

Innovative Redesigns for the Simple Traffic Light

The common traffic light isn't normally thought of as a problem. But what if you were colorblind? That's just one aspect of these eight proposals for a rethinking of the traffic light, gathered by WebUrbanist.

January 3, 2011 - WebUrbanist

Has VMT Peaked?

A new study in 8 countries says yes, contrary to government predictions.

January 2, 2011 - Miller-McCune

Blame Climate Not Politicians for Weather-Beaten Cities

Extreme weather events have had big city mayors across the world scrambling to clean up messes and prove their cities aren't falling apart. But the real issue is the climate, not the politics.

December 30, 2010 - The Atlantic

New Transit Systems of 2010

Garrett Bradford of TheCityFix reviews some of the most innovative and sustainable transit systems from around the globe that made their debut over the last twelve months.

December 29, 2010 - TheCityFix

The Prince of Wales Seeks "Harmony"

The Prince of Wales has a new book out, called "Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World." Robert Steuteville says the book is "a catalogue of environmental crises and sustainability solutions."

December 29, 2010 - New Urban News Network

The Year in Infrastructure

The Infrastructurist runs down the ten most important news stories and trends in the world of infrastructure in 2010.

December 29, 2010 - The Infrastructurist

Cities Take Business Approach to Planning

Cities around the world are applying business-style techniques to planning and encouraging economic development.

December 29, 2010 - Citiwire

Cities Too Dangerous for Kids? Maybe Not

Cities are commonly thought of as dangerous places for kids to grow up. But a new study challenges that perception.

December 28, 2010 - Grist

Is SimCity Behind the Times?

Transportation consultant Garrett Walker asks, "Is SimCity still making us stupid?" Walker jumps into the Rush Hour 4 Expansion Pack to see if the user is rewarded for contemporary planning techniques or outdated, autocentric ideas.

December 25, 2010 - Human Transit

How Cities Can Survive Rising Temperatures

Temperatures are warming all over the planet. The new book "Climatopolis" looks at what cities can do to survive.

December 23, 2010 - IEEE Spectrum

Futuristic Ideas for Smarter Cities

This piece from the Guardian lists a handful of ideas that could shape the future of cities and city design.

December 22, 2010 - Guardian

U.S. Demand For Gasoline Has Peaked

As improbable as it sounds, the U.S. hit 'peak gas demand' in 2006 at 9 million barrels per day. By 2030, experts predict it will be 20% lower. The decline is attributed to driving less, more efficient vehicles, and the addition of ethanol to gas.

December 22, 2010 - The (Lehigh

For Women Only: Safety by Segregation

Women's safety on public transit is increasingly in focus worldwide. Many systems have turned to designating separate areas for women, but what happens after they get off?

December 21, 2010 - TheCityFix

Biggest Environmental News of the Year

Grist runs down the ten most important environmental news stories of the year.

December 21, 2010 - Grist

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.