World
Global issues, U.N., etc.
Brasilia, 50 Years Later
Christopher Hawthorne remarks that Brasilia had an optimism that is remarkably different from today's new cities that are striving towards sustainability and preparing for eco-disasters.
The Orthodoxy of Urbanism
Planners take a prescriptive approach to urbanism, while people have their own ideas about what makes good places that don't fit the standard orthodoxy. Drew Austin says both extremes need attention, and synthesis.
The Manliest of Cities
AskMen.com ranks the Top 29 cities in the world to be a man, using a highly scientific ranking system based on the price of an iPod, the city's GDP, the ratio of men to women, and - the efficiency of public transit?
Revisiting Sites of Eco-Disaster
Stephanie Rogers revisits 7 of the greatest environmental disasters (including the 2008 TVA coal sludge spill) and finds that while they may have left the headlines, serious problems remain.
Confusing Access and Mobility
Transportation planner Jarrett Walker, on why transportation planners can't stop applying freeway concepts to transit and the important difference between access and mobility.
The Magic of the Grid
A new book by Hannah Higgins seeks to show that the history of modern society is based on the grid.
Communicating Codes Through Song
When working a charrette in Jamaica, architect Steve Mouzon inadvertently inspired local children to set a recommendation for urban farming to song.
Free Tools to Connect Your City
Why build your own? There are several free web applications out there that help cities interface with their citizens. Christian Madera picks the best.
Friday Funny: The Ultimate SimCity
Behold Magnasanti, the ultimate city built using the SimCity game with no cheats, with a population of 9 million residents.
U.S. Armed Forces Predicting Peak Oil
Surplus oil production capacity could go away in the next two years and shortages could get serious by 2015, says a new report from the U.S. Joint Forces.
Transportation Technologies and Expectations
The optimal transportation systems of the future will not be the result of utopian reinvention, but of incremental technological revolutions, opines Michael Schrage.
Recognizing and Addressing Safety Issues for Women in Cities
Safety is a major concern for the world's women on a day-to-day basis. From riding the bus to walking at night, if women don't feel safe, they won't do it. Cities need to take a more active role in addressing this challenge, according to this post.
The Agora from Athens to Atlanta: Public Space as Marketplace, Park and Center of Urban Life
The popularity of the agora, or central marketplace, has waxed and waned throughout the centuries. Park designer Richard Light looks back at the history and meaning of the agora from Ancient Greece to today.
Productivity Through Density
People naturally want to be near each other, which some suggest is one explanation for the increasing urbanization and densification of the world. Edward L. Glaeser argues that the information-based economy will push that trend even further.
The Rise of Soft Infrastructure
Infrastructure is undeniably important to our cities and places, but a new kind of infrastructure -- soft infrastructure -- is becoming increasingly important.
Solution for Shrinking Cities: Art and Parks
After unification, many East German towns began losing jobs and population. In 2003, the government formed a group to study how these cities could best recover. The results are in.
Art and the Built Environment
Artist Roberto Mollá finds inspiration in the urbanity of Tokyo, and the isolation of city life.
Cable Cars See Increased Usage As Transit In Developing World
Low-cost, high capacity urban gondolas and cable cars are being successfully used as public transit and tools of urban revitalization in Colombia, Algeria and other parts of the developing world.
How the Internet is Improving Your Walkshed
Worldchanging's Alex Steffen reflects on the increasing impact of Internet-enabled information sharing at the community level, and suggests that it's helping to make neighborhoods more walkable.
The Future of the Urban Biking Experience
Treehugger lists five of the coming innovations that experts expect to revolutionize urban bicycling.
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
