World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Neighborhood Mapping A Booming Business

Bernt Wahl is a pioneer of neighborhood mapping techniques. This profile in Wired profiles this growing industry, and Wahl's struggles with intellectual property. Who owns your neighborhood?

October 20, 2008 - Wired

Climate Protection Jeopardized By Financial Crisis & Recession

The worldwide credit crisis will affect the ability of the developed world to tackle climate change. Businesses in Europe and U.S. are asking for delays in meeting emission reductions mandates notwithstanding the drop in oil prices.

October 20, 2008 - Wall Street Journal

Zip Line Your Way Across Town

Zip line tours- where you slide down a wire hanging from a lanyard- are growing in popularity in tourist spots like the canopies of rainforests. BLDBLOG proposes an urban application.

October 17, 2008 - BLDBLOG

Golf Course Development Stuck in Sand Trap

The uber-wealthy are still buying homes on luxury golf course developments, but the rest of the market is hurting as courses close and projects stall around the world.

October 13, 2008 - The Wall St. Journal

Economic Thinking is Job Number One

In the midst of this financial crisis, it is doubly important to understand the economic perspective on urban planning and real estate development, argues USC Professor Peter Gordon.

October 13, 2008 - Peter Gordon

Closing Roads Sometimes Improves Traffic Flow

A new study finds that sometimes closing roads can improve traffic flow by forcing people to make alternative choices to the shortest route.

October 7, 2008 - The Christian Science Monitor

Taking City Revitalization Beyond Iconic Architecture

Many cities see new iconic buildings as a major element in recreating themselves into distinctive places. But if every city has distinctive buildings, the distinctiveness is diminished. This commentary argues for new revitalization ideas.

October 7, 2008 - Guardian

The Rise of the Amateur Mapmaker

The explosion of amateur mapmaking opened up by online services like Google Earth has expanded the reach of maps for a variety of uses. Professional mapmakers, on the other hand, foresee problems of quality and accuracy.

October 6, 2008 - The Globe and Mail

Fish as Private Property

David Bollier debunks the idea that the magic of 'private property' is saving fisheries from being overfished.

October 6, 2008 - On The Commons

How Cities Can Compete - An Illustrated Guide

An artist recently drew an interpretation of a speech by author Richard Florida about the "creative class", competition between cities and the importance of place.

October 5, 2008 - Creative Class Exchange

The President and Population Growth

Neal Pierce of Citiwire.net returns to the population issue, this time addressing U.S. federal foreign and domestic policies regarding the issue.

October 4, 2008 - Citiwire.net

Emissions Study Comes to Cities' Defense

According to one study, cities are often wrongly blamed for 75 to 80% of greenhouse gas emissions; the figure is closer to 40%.

October 2, 2008 - Terra Daily

Planning an 'Eco-City'

This piece from Scientific American looks at plans for three "eco-cities".

September 27, 2008 - Scientific American

Cars, Kids, and a Safer Environment Through Planning

Urban areas are filled with cars, and this creates an unsafe environment for children. This commentary argues that officials need to regain their faith in the power of planning to address the issue.

September 25, 2008 - Guardian

On 'Black Urbanism'

Architects and researchers are looking into the influences of African and African-American culture on urbanism.

September 25, 2008 - Archinect

A Person the Next President Should Listen To

Wired Magazine calls Mitchell Joachim 'a Frederick Law Olmsted for the 21st Century'. Joachim is at the forefront of thinking about the ecological footprint of cities, and one of Wired's 'People the Next President Should Listen To.'

September 25, 2008 - Wired

Dams Threaten Future Water Supplies

Humanity has over-engineered the world's hydrology through dam-building, writes Rachel Olivieri.

September 20, 2008 - AlterNet

'I Hate Green Architecture'

Cathleen McGuigan, Newsweek's architecture critic, is disdainful of the hype surrounding green architecture, particularly because it so often doesn't address the main problems with land use: proximity to jobs and services, and oversized development.

September 19, 2008 - Newsweek

The Air-Powered Car is a Reality

The question, as WorldChanging's Adam Stein says, is whether it works well enough. A company called Zero Pollution Motors claims that its new, improved model will go 848 miles on one tank of compressed air.

September 19, 2008 - WorldChanging

The Future Of The Car Is The Present

GM will soon unveil its SUV of the future – the 'plug-in' hybrid known as the Volt. Mitsubishi's new mini, all-electric car will soon go to market in Japan. The days of the gas-powered car are numbered- or are they?

September 18, 2008 - The Wall Street Journal

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.