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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Inside the World of Maps
This series from the BBC looks at the art and innovation of cartography.
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.
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.
The Greenest Cities
CNN explores the world's 'greenest' urban centers, and find that complexity is the secret of their success.
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.
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).
Brightening Up The Landscape
A paint company is sponsoring a project to brighten up dull communities by painting them with bright colors.
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
