World
Global issues, U.N., etc.
Water Wars: To Be or Not To Be?
Water is predicted by many to be the reason for future conflicts. But are water wars really in our future? SEED magazine asks a panel of experts.
Observe, Transform, Model, Interpret
These are just a few of the ways Prof. Peter Bosselman of UC Berkeley analyzes the built environment in his latest book, Urban Transformation: Understanding City Design and Form. Julia Galef brings us this review.
Saving the Earth One City at a Time
Richard Register argues that we can do much more to redesign cities and city functions to reduce energy consumption, primarily by ceasing to plan for automobiles.
Giving Nature Rights
This piece from Utne Reader looks at Ecuador's recent extension of inalienable rights to nature and why other countries should follow this lead.
Redefining "Comfort" in the Architecture of the Future
Buildings are designed to ensure fully mechanized comfort. Architect Terri Meyer Boake argues that designers need to think in terms of a spectrum of comfort in designing the reduced-impact buildings of the future.
Can Dimples Improve Fuel Efficiency?
A company called Fastskinz thinks so. They've created a vinyl car wrap based on the aerodynamic evidence from golf balls that an uneven surface creates less drag. Popular Mechanics puts the theory to the test.
The Legacy of Bucky Fuller
The results are in for the Annual Buckminster Fuller Design Challenge. The winning designs include robo-scooters, biocentres, and a "future map".
Walking, Talking, and Remembering Jane Jacobs
Jane's Walk is a fledgling yearly festival following in Jacobs' esteemed footsteps. Participants in cities around the world like Winnipeg take people on walking tours of their neighborhoods, illuminating their local urbanism.
The Neuroscience of Architecture
Recent studies in neuroscience show that the design of the built environment affects the way you feel and your behavior. New brain scan technology is revealing emotional reactions to color choice, rounded corners, and ceiling height.
Climate Change Spurs Need for Better Fire Management
Controlling fire has never been a strong suit for humans. Now, as climate change sets in, the need for better fire management is becoming dire, according to researchers.
Concept Trains from the Retro-Future
WebUrbanist gathers an extensive assortment of fantastic, futuristic, pseudo-scientific train designs, including a steamship that rolls out of the ocean on tracks.
Bend it Like Concrete
Advances in material development have brought to the market a new type of concrete that can bend under pressure and heal cracks with the addition of water.
The Future Office: Flexible, and Collaborative
Once the economy bounces back, new office space development will allow for time-sharing and flexibility, said experts at a recent forum hosted by ULI.
Quirky Bus Stops Across the World
This slide show includes pictures of unorthodox bus stops all over the world, including Yellowstone National Park, Estonia, Japan and Brazil.
U.S. Cities Fare Poorly in World Livability Ranking
In terms of global urban livability, American cities are not so hot. The highest ranking city, Honolulu, comes in at 29 in the results of the Worldwide Quality of Living Survey.
Nature Guiding Green Building
Builders, architects and designers are increasingly looking to nature for guidance as they try to build greener and more sustainably.
The Evolving Field of Urban Design
Metropolis talks with William Saunders, editor of Harvard Design Magazine, about his new book covering the evolving field of urban design.
Architecture That Moves
Oobject has collected videos of twelve building facades that move, either purely for effect or for ventilation.
Return to Futurama
At the 1939 World's Fair, one of the most popular exhibits was the Futurama, sponsored by GM and portraying a dazzling society of skyscrapers and freeways. Today, a group of architects, engineers and planners are creating a new Futurama.
Swine Flu and the Prospects for Urban Agriculture
The present threat of a global pandemic reveals the fundamental problem with visions for 'sustainable cities' relying on urban agriculture: there are important medical reasons for separating livestock operations from people.
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
