World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Saving Sidewalks With Root Barriers

Everyone wants street trees, but roots can tear up sidewalks and cause pedestrians to trip. John Olson has the infrastructure solution.

May 6, 2010 - EV Studio

Call Yourself "Green"? Then Stop Driving!

In the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil catastrophe, Geography professor Jason Henderson calls out "green" liberals who insist on driving.

May 6, 2010 - AlterNet

The Periodic Table of City Planning Elements

Break out the Bunsen burner: Ric Stephens has broken down the science of city planning into this handy chart of elements.

May 6, 2010 - Ric Stephens

Turning Excess Heat Into Energy

'Waste heat' is a hot area of research as an alternative energy source. Providers say they can turn excess heat produced by machines in factories into clean electricity.

May 4, 2010 - greentechmedia

Deepwater Horizon Disaster May go Global

The incredible pressures at work three miles below the ocean may prevent capping or relieving the oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico. If it continues for months or years, the scope of the disaster could be global, warns James Moore.

May 4, 2010 - Huffington Post

I'm Not A City Planner, But I Play One in Video Games

Today IBM is releasing a new video game called CityOne that reportedly is like SimCity but with more serious environmental and economic issues at stake. And yes, the gamer plays the role of a city planner.

May 4, 2010 - Fast Company

The Impossibility of Vertical Farming

Stan Cox and David Van Tassel point out that skyscraper farms will never work as promised because of their inability to provide natural sunlight.

May 3, 2010 - AlterNet

Could 3D Printing Revolutionize Buildings?

Geoff Manaugh of BLDBLOG proposes that the future of building could include a permanently-installed 3D printer, constantly churning out new rooms.

May 3, 2010 - BLDBLOG

Clean Cars: Salvation or Problem?

Alternative energy cars: will they be our salvation, or will they perpetuate auto-dependency? Jan Lundberg critiques the Sierra Club's longstanding priority on increasing fuel efficiency.

May 2, 2010 - Culture Change

Coastal Cities and Climate Change

Anthony Flint looks at how cities around the world are preparing for the predicted rise in sea level due to global warming, and how the Dutch experience with building dikes could be essential.

May 1, 2010 - Citiwire.net

Friday Funny: The Development Process is the Pits

Cartoonist Ben Katchor has an obsession with the built environment. In this cartoon, an architect finds inspiration in an olive, but struggles with developers who have their own ideas.

April 30, 2010 - Metropolis Magazine

Architecture Is, By Definition, Corrupt

Victoria Beach, an independent architect, says that going by a recent definition by lawyer Lawrence Lessig, the entire profession of architecture is ethically corrupt.

April 30, 2010 - Design Intelligence

LEED-ND Officially Launches

LEED for Neighborhood Development, seen by many as a corrective to the green building rating system emphasizing sustainability at the neighborhood scale, is now official. Kaid Benfield was part of its creation, and has this report.

April 29, 2010 - NRDC Blog

Inside the World of Maps

This series from the BBC looks at the art and innovation of cartography.

April 29, 2010 - BBC

Won't Somebody Think of the Children?

Kids make up a big part of city populations. But often the built environment doesn't reflect a world planned with children in mind. This post from Polis looks at an effort to put children's needs back in the minds of planners.

April 29, 2010 - POLIS

Changing the World One Block at a Time

The neighborhood is the basic building block of human society, and successful efforts to make the world a better place often start right there, says Jay Walljasper.

April 29, 2010 - Jay Walljasper

The Greenest Cities

CNN explores the world's 'greenest' urban centers, and find that complexity is the secret of their success.

April 28, 2010 - CNN Online

Why Peak Oil Will Bring us Closer

In this excerpt from his new book "Eaarth", Bill McKibben discusses how such efforts as the Transition movement and farmer's markets are tapping into our need for neighbors.

April 28, 2010 - AlterNet

People's Needs and Placemaking

Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP, proposes a new way of looking at placemaking through the lens of the 4 basic human needs (a framework from the field of psychology).

April 26, 2010 - PDI Advisor

Brightening Up The Landscape

A paint company is sponsoring a project to brighten up dull communities by painting them with bright colors.

April 26, 2010 - GOOD Magazine

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.