World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Friday Funny: Magic Device Cuts Gas Consumption By 30%

The Magic Power System plugs into your car's 12v port, and purportedly improves your gas mileage by 30%, increases torque, reduces emissions, improves car audio quality, and cleans the entire car 'electrically'.

November 14, 2008 - Boing Boing

To Re-Imagine Cities, Re-Imagine Urban Design

Oil is running out and the climate is changing. How this impacts cities will largely be determined by how the urban design field reacts.

November 13, 2008 - Nate Berg

Estates for All

Wendell Cox looks at how single-family detached housing came to be, and why it's likely to remain a popular option for the middle class.

November 12, 2008 - New Geography

Architectural Mashups

Belgian photographer Filip Dujardin combines photos of wildly different buildings into new constructions of impossible architecture.

November 12, 2008 - BLDBLOG

Mini-Reactors Reinvent Nuclear Energy

A newly-designed nuclear "battery" utilizing 50-year old technology promises to revolutionize nuclear power with sealed, shed-sized reactors suitable for powering thousands of households.

November 10, 2008 - Guardian (UK)

Oil Shortage & Climate Crisis On Horizon

Despite the reduction in oil consumption caused by the global recession, the world faces a duel energy-environmental crisis of an oil shortage and climate crisis, according to the World Energy Outlook written by the International Energy Agency.

November 10, 2008 - The New York Times

Is 'Clean Coal' Really Clean?

The politicians name-checked 'clean coal' throughout the campaign. Has coal really cleaned up its act?

November 8, 2008 - Inhabitat

Skyscraper Lights Don't Have to be Dangerous or Wasteful

One architecture critic addresses two skyscraper-related conundrums: Decorative lighting that tops the buildings are energy inefficient, and they are dangerous to migrating birds.

November 4, 2008 - Chicago Tribune

James Bond, Architecture Critic?

The James Bond films have featured some of the most memorable built environments in all of cinema. Too bad Bond invariably blows them up.

November 4, 2008 - Guardian (UK)

Could Montreal Be Barcelona?

French starchitect Paul Andreu is creating a new iconic building for Montreal, but writer Joseph Baker posits that one splashy building does not a beautiful city make. Baker calls for a grand vision of city form on the scale of Barecelona's plan.

November 2, 2008 - The Montreal Gazette

Spooky Friday: Top 10 Scary Places

The Bermuda Triangle tops this list of spooky places, but the compendium also includes the Pirate House of Savannah and Colorado's Stanley Hotel, the inspiration for The Shining.

October 31, 2008 - MSN

Building the 'Electranet'

Al Gore did in fact invent the 'electranet', or at least he coined the term to explain the necessity of a new smart grid to transmit electricity from new, green sources like wind and solar. GOOD Magazine reports on the state of the electranet.

October 31, 2008 - GOOD Magazine

Cities With a Global Outlook: The Top 12

A team of management consulting and foreign policy professionals has released a report analyzing which cities of the world are most global in reach, looking at business activity, human capital, and information exchange. New York comes out on top.

October 31, 2008 - Business Week

Kazakhstan: The New Dubai?

Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, is reinventing itself as an increasingly wealthy and fast developing country through its architecture.

October 30, 2008 - Architectural Record

300% More Oxygen: The Guardian Examines Greenwashing

In a new weekly column, Fred Pearce of The Guardian examines corporate and municipal claims to sustainability.

October 27, 2008 - The Guardian

'The Earth in Your Pocket'

That's how developers at Google describe the release of Google Earth for the iPhone. Boing Boing's Joel Johnson wonders why it wasn't released for Android first.

October 27, 2008 - Boing Boing

Income Gap in American Cities As Bad As African Cities

Income inequality in U.S. cities rivals that of many African cities, which struggle with deep divides between the haves and the have-nots, according to a recent report from the United Nations.

October 26, 2008 - Reuters

World's Underground Waters Mapped

UNESCO has released a detailed map of the world's aquifers, a move the organization hopes will enable more intelligent use of natural resources.

October 26, 2008 - New Scientist

Three Oil Producing Nations Impacted By Oil Price Plunge

Plunging oil prices are hitting three oil-producing countries the hardest: Venezuela, Iran, and Russia. This article looks at each of them and evaluates how they will fare if oil prices do not rise, including their relationships to the U.S.

October 24, 2008 - The New York Times

Social Inequity a 'Time Bomb' for U.S. Cities

The annual UN State of the World's Cities report contains a dire warning for American cities: racial divisions and social inequities are at alarming levels.

October 24, 2008 - Guardian (UK)

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.